Take A Trip To Kangavar To Visit Anahita Temple

Anahita Temple has been built in honor of goddess Anahita. There are two such temples in Iran but the more popular one is in Kangavar. You can find the other one in Bishapur, south of Iran where Shapur, the mighty Sassanian king has built a city after the defeat of Valerian, the Roman emperor. That temple constructed at that site is much smaller than this although functionally they are similar. The trip to Kangavar will show you ruins which suggest a Hellenistic style of architecture along with Persian influences.

The Persian elements can be found in the enormous dimension of the plinth built on a megalithic foundation. These look more like the Achaemenid stone platforms. The influence can be further felt in two lateral stairways leading to a huge stone platform. The style is clearly reminiscent of the Achaemenid traditions.

Identity of Structure

There is a lot of dispute about the identity of the Anahita Temple. The first excavations were made in 1968, which revealed the huge structure based on a stone platform. It was referred to as the temple of Artemis which can be interpreted as temple of Anahita. Over the course of time, it was believed that the structure was built by the Parthians and then was renovated during the Sassanid period. It looks more like a Roman temple with the temenos being the main part of it. Looking at the Achaemenid influence, the structure is more likely to be the temple of the deity Anahita.

But another excavator of the site added to the dispute by saying that it could not be called a temple. Some of his supporters also maintain that the building was a Sassanian palace and not a temple. Others feel that this structure was built during the Achaemenid period but was ruined and rebuilt many times through the ages.

Date of Construction

A few believe that Anahita Temple was built in 200 BC. Although the Hellenistic influence placed the building as a Parthian one, yet it was believed later that the Sassanians built it. There are disputes about the structure being a Seleucid one, followed by suggestions of it being built by the Achaemenians. The style of architecture points to a Parthian origin but later excavations showed the Sassanian influence.

It was finally concluded that many different kings have contributed to the construction of the structure through the years. On your trip to Kangavar, you can see that it was devastated and rebuilt many times showing the influence of the various styles of architecture during the different eras.