A new theory has emerged from a team of archaeologists from the University of Bern and the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, along with the Institute of Civilizations in Madagascar, led by Professor Guido Schroyers.
In the first millennium AD, a community living in southern Madagascar carved large chambers and niches into the rocks. For over a century, scholars have been puzzled about the authorship of these strange architectural structures, as they bear no resemblance to any other sites previously found in Madagascar or along the entire East African coast. However, the similarities between the architecture of this site and Zoroastrian architecture in Persia and other regions are quite compelling. This resemblance has prompted researchers to delve deeper into their studies.
What We Know About the Study of These Rock Niches
According to the new theory, these mysterious structures in a location called Tenik could have been left behind by a Zoroastrian community that inhabited Madagascar around 1,000 years ago. Located in Isalo National Park in the central-southern part of the island, the carved niches have attracted the attention of scholars for decades, but archaeological research has been limited.
This is partly due to the remote location of the sites. To reach them, archaeologists must navigate a challenging terrain with steep canyons for 20 kilometers. According to Professor Schroyers, heavy equipment and supplies must be carried to the research site. Additionally, obtaining numerous permits from various local authorities complicates the work.
In the early 20th century, French naturalists Alfred and Guillaume Grandidier suggested that the niches in the local rocks might have been carved by Portuguese sailors who landed on the island in the 16th century, using the hollows as shelters. The area was dubbed Grotte des Portugais (“Cave of the Portuguese”) by French scholars.
However, in 1963, this theory was dismissed by other teams of scientists who believed that the effort required to carve all these niches was too great. It was during this time that archaeologists discovered a shard of a 16th-century Chinese jug here.
In 2019, research using high-resolution satellite images revealed that the archaeological site is significantly larger than previously thought. The images showed numerous terraces, linear and rectangular structures that had not been on the radar of researchers before. These discoveries prompted Schroyers and his colleagues to embark on new explorations.
What Scientists Have Discovered
Field studies and excavations were conducted at sites known as the Great Grotto and the Small Grotto. These consist of two rock chambers supported by massive stone columns. Inside the niches, there are carved benches.
The team also uncovered dozens of other round and rectangular hollows, some of which were covered with wooden or stone slabs. Additionally, they found over 30 hectares of man-made terraces, as reported by IFLScience.
Analysis of charcoal and ceramic shards found during the excavations indicated that the area was inhabited in the 10th to 12th centuries AD. Some shards were imported from China in the 11th and 14th centuries, while others originated from Southeast Asia and dated back to the 11th and 13th centuries. This suggests that the local community was part of the Indian Ocean trade network.
The findings debunked the idea that the structures were created by Portuguese sailors, as their first ships arrived in the Indian Ocean only in 1498.
Professor Schroyers’ team took into account the fact that the population of Madagascar has genetic, linguistic, and cultural ties to Austronesia, India, Arabia, and Persia.
“While studying the literature, I was struck by mentions of niches carved into rocks of various shapes and sizes in many regions of Iran,” noted Guido Schroyers. These hollows were remarkably similar to the structures in Madagascar. Thus, researchers speculated that the mysterious inhabitants of this site might have Zoroastrian origins, and the rock niches could be linked, as in the case of their Iranian counterparts, to Zoroastrian burial rituals.
Although this idea is still a theory, the stylistic similarity of the stone structures in Isalo National Park to known Zoroastrian niches is quite convincing.
But There Are Some Caveats
However, archaeologists face one significant challenge. Zoroastrians believed that the dead should not be buried immediately, as this was considered desecration of the body. Therefore, they would leave the deceased in stone niches. Consequently, scientists would expect to find bones and teeth within the rock structures of Madagascar. Yet, none have been discovered. Perhaps the remains were found and reburied by the later inhabitants of Tenik?
It is also unclear why the Zoroastrians abandoned this region. The team plans to return in 2025 for further excavations, including conducting LiDAR surveys to search for other artifacts that could unveil more secrets about the Zoroastrians of Madagascar.
The results of the study were published in the journal Azania.