Ancient Architectural Marvel in Madagascar May Be Linked to Zoroastrian Traditions

A newly unearthed archaeological site in the Isalo massif of southern Madagascar, known as Teniky, might have been built by a Zoroastrian community around 1,000 years ago, Psy.org reported. Research led by Guido Schreurs of the University of Bern and published in Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa suggests this potential connection based on architectural and material evidence.

At the turn of the first millennium AD, a previously unidentified group built sprawling terraces and uniquely carved stone chambers and niches in Teniky, structures that stand apart from other known architectures in Madagascar and East Africa. These findings prompt considerations on who constructed these terraces and what their cultural and historical contexts might be.

High-resolution satellite imagery unveiled the extensive scope of Teniky structures, motivating detailed excavations by collaboration between the University of Antananarivo, the University of Bern, and the University of Fribourg. Schreurs and his colleagues performed field surveys and examinations of the rock-cut niches, large grottoes upheld by massive pillars, and terraces made of stone conglomerates.

Charcoal and ceramic sherds found at the site date the occupation to the 10th and 12th centuries. Southeast Asian ceramics, Chinese celadon, and other trade network artifacts indicate a connection between Teniky inhabitants and the wider Indian Ocean trade route. This disproves prior theories attributing the structures to shipwrecked Portuguese sailors from the 16th century.

A pivotal insight came from Schreurs' review of related archaeological literature. He noted similarities between niches found at Teniky and those in Iran's Fars region, likely used as bone ossuaries in Zoroastrian funeral rites. This led to the hypothesis that Teniky might have Zoroastrian origins, perhaps tied to Iranian coastal trade towns like Siraf, which maintained active maritime trade routes to as far as China and East Africa despite religious transitions after the Islamic conquest.

Though no human bones were found in Teniky niches, and notwithstanding the possible historical removal for rituals or decay, the stylistic and functional resemblances lend credence to Schreurs’ tentative identification of these structures as part of Zoroastrian practices. Additional studies, including blanket use of advanced archaeological technologies like Lidar deep surveys, are planned for 2025 to address unresolved questions about Teniky’s precise cultural heritage and the enigmatic community that built and lived in it.

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