The people of Aşıklı Höyük chose their location wisely. The Melendiz River provided water and fertile soil, while the nearby volcanic peaks supplied obsidian, the "black gold" of the Stone Age. For over 1,000 years, generation after generation built their houses in the same spot, creating the 15-meter-high mound we see today.
Their society was egalitarian and highly organized. Houses were built tightly together, with no streets; people moved across the flat roofs and entered their homes through holes in the ceiling. This design provided natural insulation and protection from both weather and wild animals.
The site is an "Aceramic" settlement, meaning it existed before the invention of pottery. Instead, they used baskets and stone vessels. The discovery of charred grains and animal bones shows they were among the first humans to master cereal cultivation and animal husbandry, setting the stage for the Great Neolithic Revolution.