Akarçay is a village in Birecik district of Şanlıurfa Province, Turkey. It has a number of archaeological sites in the vicinity. Geography Akarçay is located by the Euphrates, along a seasonal stream that dries up in the summer. The Birecik Dam and Karkamış Dam are both located nearby. The prevailing climate is a semiarid Mediterranean climate with dry summers and most rainfall happening in winter. Botanically, Akarçay is located in a transitional zone between the Irano-Turanian Region and the Mediterranean Region, with the Irano-Turanian flora predominating. The plant cover is characteristic of steppe regions; members of the Asteraceae family. Some plants documented in Akarçay's immediate surroundings include the flowering plants Ixiolirion tataricum, Eminium rauwolffii, Scutellaria orientalis, Moluccella laevis, Verbascum kotschyi, Heliotropium bovei, Anagallis arvensis, Rhagadiolus hamosus, Hedypnois cretica, Catananche lutea, Centaurea iberica, Sedum caespitosum, and Potentilla reptans, Ranunculus asiaticus, Ranunculus damascenus, Ranunculus ficaria, Adonis flammea, Papaver syriacum, Papaver argemone, Fumaria officinalis, Thlaspi perfoliatum, Isatis lusitanicus, Descurainia sophia, Minuartia decipiens, Dianthus strictus, Silene chaetodonta, Gypsophila ruscifola, Gypsophila antari, and Chenopodium album. Also in the category of flowering plants are several wild legumes such as Trigonella mesopotamica (related to fenugreek), lens orientalis (a type of lentil, and Astragalus russellii. There are also various grasses such as Melica persica, Cynodon dactylon, and Hordeum marinum''; Archaeology Akarçay Tepe Akarçay Tepe is a small, flattish, oval-shaped mound located west of the village. Along with nearby Mezraa Teleilat, it is one of the oldest known settlements in the Euphrates basin. It was first identified in 1989 by a team led by G. Algaze, who found Paleolithic flint tips and drill bits were found before any excavation took place. In 1998, a team led by Nur Balkan-Atlı surveyed the site; they then began excavation in 1999. In 2001, M. Özdoğan and N. Karul conducted further research at Akarçay Tepe and dated various artifacts found here to the Ubaid period, Late Chalcolithic, Iron Age, Neolithic, Pottery Neolithic, and Pre-Pottery Neolithic. The tepe consists of 7 layers, with the top being a "mixed" layer and the others being numbered Phase I through VI. The youngest and uppermost layer, Phase I, has been radiocarbon dated to 6225-6015 BCE, in the Copper Age. Below it is Phase II, which is dated to 6455-6200 BCE, spanning the end of the Pottery Neolithic up to the beginning of the Halaf period in the early Chalcolithic. Phase III is a "transitional" phase dated to