Bazian Temple
The ruins of the Zoroastrian Temple (Bazian Strait), in Sulaymaniyah Governorate.
The ruins of (Madiq Bazian Temple) or (Madiq Bazian Castle) as some call it, are located near the town of (Tekê) in the city of (Çemçemal) in the Kurdistan Sulaymaniyah Governorate,
On the western side of the historical (Bazian Strait Wall), And on the highway between the city of Kirkuk and the city of Sulaymaniyah, It is about 64 km from the city of Kirkuk, and 54 km from the city of Sulaymaniyah. It is most likely the ruins of a Zoroastrian temple dating back to the Sasanian era.
Some previously believed that it might be the ruins of a Christian church, an Islamic mosque, a military castle, or a resting place for caravans. In the year 1987 AD, the Sulaymaniyah Antiquities Directorate excavated the site (the ruins of the Bazian Strait Temple), and protected it from removal during the construction and expansion of the highway between Sulaymaniyah and Kirkuk.
During these excavations, the foundations and remains of the walls of the temple were revealed, along with a detailed description of the method used in its construction The structural sections, their areas, the corridors that permeate them, the niches, the corridors, and the remains of the traces of the columns, some of whose traces are still remaining, were studied. And Bazian Strait is considered one of the ancient archaeological sites in Kurdistan, and it is a mountain strait located in the Qardag mountain range, The strait is located between the city of Kirkuk and the city of Sulaymaniyah, as these areas in the past centuries were administratively affiliated to the city of Kirkuk.
This strait was mentioned in ancient history books. It is one of the important sites due to the strategy of its geographical location, and in all events it was a strong support for its Kurdish population who defended the region against the campaigns of the invading armies. And it has a historical feature among the Kurds, as it contains the site of (Burda Qahraman) whose relatives were wounded and captured by the King of Kurdistan Sheikh Mahmoud's grandson by the British forces. And the King of Kurdistan Sheikh Mahmoud's grandson at the beginning of the twentieth century AD, with his Kurdish fighting soldiers, resisted the British forces from the heights adjacent to this strait, and recorded the most wonderful heroic epics in the history of the Kurds for the sake of freedom and independence of Kurdistan. In the foothills of the mountains near the Bazian Strait, there are several different caves dating back to the stone ages. There are also sources of water and it is a green area due to the dense planting of trees. And the ancient inhabitants of the region built a high wall between the two sides of the strait to take refuge in it when the enemies attacked. In recent years, the wall has been restored by the concerned authorities in Kurdistan. There are also those who call (Bazian Strait) the White Strait, in relation to its white rocks. [1] [2]