In Turkey's Van region, above Lake Van, lies Ayanis — a ~800 BC Urartian temple. Its altar features golden calcite alabaster (Mohs 7-7.5). A researcher argues flame and circle symbols with guardians match Hermetic life and light (cuneiform added later), and may show the origins of the Knights Templar cross.
Ayanis Kalesi altar in Van, Turkey features repeating flame and circle symbols
Türkiyeunverified
Key facts
- Site located in Van region, eastern Turkey, west of Mount Ararat, above Lake Van
- Altar and floors made of golden calcite alabaster (Mohs hardness 7-7.5)
- Archaeologists claim construction approximately 800 BC (about 2,800 years ago), attributed to Urartians
- Speaker argues original cuneiform inscriptions were added later; the original temple contained only symbols, no writing
- Two symbols repeat across the altar: the flame and the circle, both with guardians
- Flame and circle interpreted as corresponding to the Hermetic concepts of life and light from the Hermetica
- Site features what the speaker identifies as the origins of the Knights Templar cross at center of the temple
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