I suspect there are earlier civilizations, of which no record remains. Mesopotamia probably was not the cradle of civilization.

Neanderthals were once considered not much more than brutes, but now it is being recognized that they were much more than just brutes.

~NightSky

At around 12,000 years old, Göbekli Tepe is the world's oldest megalithic site – and it has a lesser-known "sister site" called Karahan Tepe.

Author
Tom Hale

https://youtu.be/Zd4dUpni7yM

Located just over 45 kilometers (27 miles) east of Göbekli Tepe, Karahan Tepe was first discovered in 1997, according to an academic paper published in 2000. While the archaeological site has still not been fully excavated, digs have revealed that this ancient complex has some incredible similarities to Göbekli Tepe.

The word “tepe” means hill or summit in Turkish and describes how both of these sites lay around the rocky Tektek Mountains of Turkey, although the hills around Karahan Tepe are slightly less severe with the site stranding around 700 meters (2,296 feet) above sea level.

Its ruins span over an area of 325,000 meters squared (3.4 million feet squared), which is around three times smaller than the Göbekli Tepe excavation area. However, it does feature similar pillar features, special structures, obelisks, and ornate animal sculptures.

more:

https://www.iflscience.com/karahan-tepe-the-stunning-sister-of-g-bekli-tepe-is-just-as-mysterious-67279