A mysterious, ancient, architecture structure discovered by archaeologists in a rocky natural landscape. The structure is carved into the rocks. This is one of the elements that experts consider their findings to be unique.
The discovery was made in Madagascar, the fourth largest island in the world. The study details recent research carried out at Teniky, an isolated archaeological site in the interior of the Isalo massif, located in the southern part of the island, which lies south-east of the African continent.
A unique example of architecture
The area, which is more than 190 kilometers from the nearest coast, has “enigmatic” architecture unique to all of Madagascar and the wider East African coast, according to the study.
The research brought Teniky back into the spotlight, revealing, among other things, that the site of archaeological interest is “much larger” than previously thought and contains many archaeological structures, said geologist Guido Schreurs, from the University of Switzerland.
The first half of the 20you century, visitors to the Teniky site in Isalo National Park described archaeological structures within a river circle—an amphitheater-shaped valley formed by river erosion.
The structures included man-made terraces, rock-cut alcoves and a rock shelter bounded by walls composed of hewn sandstone blocks.
During fieldwork in southern Madagascar in the 1990s, Schreurs first heard of the rock shelter, sometimes known as the Grotte des Portugais, “the Cave of the Portuguese.”
About the end of the 16thyou century AD a ship sank on the Malagasy coast, the crew of which crossed the island to go to another beach point, where other Portuguese ships may have passed, traveling to India. They apparently stayed in the Isalo National Park during the passage, where they also created the extensive stone walls,” Schreurs explained to Newsweek.
After an exhibition he visited in 2010 in which he saw photographs of the ‘Cave of the Portuguese’, with its intricately carved stone and entrance, the researcher began to wonder if the Portuguese had really built the wall. “Why would the Portuguese put so much effort into building a wall if they were just passers-by?” he wonders.
Subsequent research was published in a journal by the Madagascar Ministry of Tourism in 1963. “The publication showed photographs of the sandstone walls in the stone shelter, while also showing the carved architecture in Sneakers. Now I’m starting to doubt the interpretation that says these structures are attributed to the Portuguese.” said Schreurs.
The researcher examined high-resolution satellite images of the Isalo National Park. In late 2019, he discovered that there were more structures at the site – with rectangular and rectilinear features, including constructed terraces, in another area just over a kilometer west of the river basin where the archaeological structures are known, including the “Cave of the Portuguese”.
In 2021, despite the pandemic, Schreurs managed to carry out an initial reconstruction mission in Teniky with Malagasy archaeologists, accompanied by guides from the Isalo National Park. During the expedition, more rock-hewn structures were discovered.
In 2022, the geologist returned with the Malagasy with also Swiss archaeologists on site, who excavated and documented the structures. During the excavations, the team discovered ceramic shards and small pieces of charcoal that were radiocarbon dated by the University of Bern.
The latest findings presented in the study indicate that Teniky is much larger and contains many more archaeological structures than previously known, including terraces, stone walls, stone bowls and rock-cut structures.
The researchers shed light on the chronology of the site – when the sandstone walls and carved architecture were built. Evidence suggests that the structures that came to light in 2022 were built about a thousand years ago, roughly between 10you and the 12thyou century, while the point was inhabited by humans at that time.
“We now know for sure that, the constructions at Sneakers they were not created by Portuguese castaways of the 16th centuryyou century”, explains Schreurs. The most likely scenario is that the river basin structures date from the same period, according to the researcher.
Interesting architectural similarities
The team also showed that the enigmatic stone architecture at Teniky has stylistic parallels with contemporary stone architecture in Iran, dating back to the first millennium or earlier and tracing back to Zoroastrian communities. Zoroastrianism, which originated in Persia, is one of the oldest monotheistic religions.
«Carved niches in the rocks at Sneakers and stone bowls on the terraces, right next to the rocks, have been interpreted as ritual elements, possibly related to the burial practices of Zoroastrianism.explains Schreurs. “I want to emphasize that further investigation is necessary to investigate the matter.”
He adds: “If verified by future research, this would suggest that Zoroastrian communities did not just leave Southwest Asia for India – where they remain today and are known as Parsis (Parsis or Parsis or Wevri, the Persians, primarily fire worshipers who religion of Zoroaster, also known as Parsism), but also to other parts of the Indian Ocean during the late first/early second millennium’.
The mysteries
While the findings of the recent study shed new light on Teniky, they also raise further questions, explains Schreurs. “Where and when did the community that arrived first finally settle Sneakerson the coast of Madagascar?’
Did they come directly from their homeland, or did they first settle in other parts of the Indian Ocean?
How did they interact with contemporary communities in Madagascar and East Africa?
Why did they move inland to the isolated mountains of Isalo? When and for what reason was the site abandoned?’ are the questions that Schreurs poses.
Researchers will tackle some of the above questions in 2025 when they return to Teniky for more extensive excavations.