West Kurdistan · Rojava · Ancient Mesopotamia
Ain Dara Temple
A Syro-Hittite temple guarded by carved lions, with giant footprints cut into its threshold, as if a god had walked in.
- Period
- c. 1300–740 BC
- Place
- Near Efrîn (Afrin)
- Region
- West Kurdistan · Rojava
- Age
- Ancient Mesopotamia
The temple stood on a high platform faced with basalt reliefs of lions and sphinxes. Pressed into the stone of its entrance are enormous bare footprints — two side by side at the door, then a single one further in, as though the god had stepped inside.
Its plan of porch, hall and inner sanctuary is close to the description of Solomon's temple in the Bible, which made it famous among archaeologists. The temple was badly damaged in 2018; what survives is a reminder of how fragile this heritage is.
Chosen and introduced by Aram Mizuri, architect in Erbil