A metal monolith that mysteriously appeared on a field in southeast Turkey has now disappeared, Turkish media reported Tuesday, four days after it was discovered.

The three-meter-high (about 10-foot-high) metal slab bearing an ancient Turkic script, was found Friday by a farmer in Sanliurfa province. It was discovered near the UNESCO World Heritage site of Gobekli Tepe, which is home to megalithic structures dating to the 10th millennium B.C., thousands of years before Stonehenge.

The shiny structure, however, was reported gone Tuesday morning, days after authorities said they were investigating its appearance by looking through closed circuit television footage and searching for vehicles that may have transported it to the site.

It wasn't immediately clear if it had been taken down by the authorities. Officials at the Sanliurfa governor's office weren't immediately available for comment.

The state-run Anadolu Agency quoted the field’s owner as saying he was baffled by both its appearance and disappearance.

“We don’t know if it was placed on my field for marketing purposes or as an advertisement,” Anadolu quoted Fuat Demirdil as saying. “We saw that the metal block was no longer at its place. Residents cannot solve the mystery of the metal block either.”

The agency also quoted local resident Hasan Yildiz as saying the block was still at the field Monday evening but had disappeared by the morning.

The monolith bore an inscription that read: “Look at the sky, you will see the moon” in the ancient Turkic Gokturk alphabet, according to reports.

Other mysterious monoliths have similarly appeared and some have disappeared in numerous countries in recent months.

Gobekli Tepe was the setting of the Turkish Netflix mystery series, “The Gift.”

Share:
More In Culture
Queen Elizabeth II Privately Marks Her 96th Birthday
Queen Elizabeth II was marking her 96th birthday privately Thursday, retreating to the Sandringham estate in eastern England that has offered the monarch and her late husband, Prince Philip, a refuge from the affairs of state.
Professional Athletes, Sports Teams Could Be Impacted by Canadian Vaccine Mandate
As U.S. cities and airlines are weighing COVID-19 protocols like mask and vaccine mandates, Canada continues to ban travelers who are not fully vaccinated -- including professional athletes. The MLB season is now underway, and the Toronto Raptors have advanced to the NBA playoffs, so several athletes are expected to not participate in upcoming games in Canada. Gabe Lacques, MLB reporters and Baseball Editor for USA Today Sports, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to dsicuss.
Swimwear Brand Is Sustainable From Sourcing to Shipping
While the push for sustainable fashion has been gaining traction, traditional swimwear is often still made with toxic plastic fibers. Natalie Herzig joins Cheddar News to explain how her brand Argot Swim is sustainable from sourcing to shipping.
Load More