Massive structure was built in Madagascar 1,000 years ago. Now researchers may know why

Deep in the heart of Madagascar — in a desolate, rocky landscape — lies a peculiar archaeological site known as Teniky.

Sprawling across 75 acres, the site is composed of numerous chambers and terraces carved out from the sides of cliffs.

Discovered over 100 years ago, Teniky has long puzzled archaeologists. It has no known parallels on the island or along the nearby coast of mainland Africa, and its origins are mysterious.

But, now, a significant breakthrough may have been made.

Archaeologists now believe the site was constructed about 1,000 years ago by religious settlers from what is now Iran, according to a study published on Sept. 11 in the journal Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa.

This hypothesis was made following the first-ever in-depth excavation of Teniky, which was carried out during 2021 and 2022.

Throughout the excavation, a number of previously unknown features were discovered, including stone basins, quarries and half a dozen tombs. Many of these appeared to have served some sort of ritual function.

Fragments of pottery from China and southeast Asia were also found, which were dated to between the 11th and 14th centuries. These objects indicated Teniky’s inhabitants participated in trade across the Indian Ocean despite living far inland.

Further, using radiocarbon dating of charcoal discovered at the site, archaeologists learned it was constructed sometime between the 10th and 12th centuries A.D.

After scouring the literature from this time period, they found that Teniky was not entirely unique. In fact, it shared similarities with sites found thousands of miles away.

“The closest stylistic parallels are found in Iran, where a multitude of archaeological sites show niches cut in steep rock walls dating to the first millennium A.D. or earlier,” the archaeologists said.

Because of these parallels, archaeologists hypothesize that Teniky was built by Zoroastrian settlers from Iran.

Zoroastrianism, an ancient monotheistic religion, was once widely practiced throughout the Persian Empire. Importantly, its practitioners had unique funerary practices that forbade burial in the ground.

So, archaeologists believe the rock-cut chambers found among the cliffs of Teniky once served as Zoroastrian necropolises.

Some of the smaller chambers could have been used to dry out and store the bones of the deceased.

While the study potentially helps solve the mystery of Teniky, it leaves further questions to be answered, archaeologists said, namely when the Zoroastrians first came to Madagascar, if and how they interacted with other communities on the island and also why they abandoned the site.

This story was originally published October 4, 2024 at 9:55 AM with the headline "Massive structure was built in Madagascar 1,000 years ago. Now researchers may know why."