Turkish Friends of Çatalhöyük:
A Tale of Friendship by a Handful of Volunteers

Reşit Ergener (Turkey)

Abstract

In this article, Reşit Ergener describes the creation and subsequent activities of the Turkish Friends of Çatalhöyük.  This volunteer organization was established for the purpose of drawing public attention to the importance of Çatalhöyük and to generate tangible support for the excavation. He outlines the history of past accomplishments of the organization and the direction of future plans which include a series of international conferences, “Goddess Conversations” to generate international dialogue between the excavators and scholars from various fields who are inspired by the findings at Çatalhöyük.