A mysterious metal plate that appeared in southeastern Turkey last week, and then quietly disappeared, was a government stunt to promote Turkey’s new space program.
The monolith, which stood about 10 feet long, was discovered in a rural area of Sanliurfa province on Friday and disappeared four days later without explaining it. It was written with a cryptic message in the Gokturk alphabet, an ancient Turkish language: “Look at the sky, see the moon.”
During a televised speech on Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced an ambitious new space program for the country, including mission to the moon. An image of the monolith was projected behind him.
Mr. Erdogan said Turkey’s 10-year vision for space was driven by a ‘famous slogan’.
“I announce the whole world and say, ‘Look at the sky, see the moon,'” he said.
Mustafa Varank, Turkey’s Minister of Industry and Technology, told the state-run Anadolu agency on Wednesday that the idea to plant the monolith came from his ministry colleagues. The inspiration, he said, was derived from a period in late 2020 when a mysterious monolith appeared in the Utah desert, followed by others from California to Romania.
“My young colleagues, who are closely monitoring the current development, had such a proposal,” he said. Varank said. “They said, ‘The monoliths are coming out all over the world.’ How about we do something like this, write such a message on it and do it in the Gokturk language, to magnify the mystery a little more? ”
Unlike some of its predecessors, the monolith was protected in Turkey by armed guards, including members of the military police. Mr. Varank said his colleagues erected the monolith in the middle of the night. Local leaders were aware of the plan, he said, and its placement near Gobekli Tepe, a UNESCO-protected archaeological site, was deliberate. (The site is the decade for the Turkish Netflix series “The Gift.”)
The monolith quickly became an intense curiosity and attracted visitors hundreds of miles away.
Fuat Demirdil, the owner of the field where the monolith was found, told the Anadolu Agency on Tuesday that he was not sure of its purpose.
“We do not know if the metal block was placed on my field for publicity or advertising purposes,” he said.
The confusion helped to foster interest and publicity, as the government officials intended.
“It was good humor,” he said. Varank said.