The Whispers of Ancient Stones at Anahita Temple

Sometimes when people travel to a place, they do not travel to see the new things in that location, but to feel the old times at that spot. One of the ancient sites that I visited recently is the Anahita Temple in the city of Kangavar. This temple is famously known as a grand place that was built for the ancient Iranian goddess of water and fertility. When I was in this temple, I could feel the heavy history of the place. I took these photos of the temple as I wanted to keep the story that the stones of this ancient temple told to me forever.

When I looked at these photos, I remembered the feel of the warm sun on the dry grass where the temple is located. This temple is a very big site, filled with many ancient stones and columns that have fallen over the millennia. One of the photos displays the wide view of the area of the ancient temple as the modern city of Kangavar can be seen in the background. It is amazing to see the two time periods existing next to one another. The stone walls appear strong, despite the amount of time that the temple has been around.

As I walked around the temple, there are many interesting details. In one of the photos, there is a very huge stone that appears to be a bowl carved out of the stone. As the ancient Iranian goddess of the temple was in charge of water, I wondered if this stone bowl once held water and was used to perform rituals to her in the ancient times. Despite the cracks in the stone from the amount of time that the stone has been exposed to the outside world, it remains firmly on the ground at the temple site.

Moreover, I took pictures of those columns, which once supported the roof of this huge temple. One of them stands tall and erect, while the other one, located right beside it, has fallen into the yellow grass. While observing these pictures, I feel a bit melancholic but at the same time I am overwhelmed with admiration. It shows me that all is temporary in this life, but something really nice leaves an eternal trace in the Earth.

The process of taking these pictures is truly wonderful for me. Sometimes when modern life becomes too chaotic and confusing, I look back at those silent stones and feel relieved.