Ancient Temple of Ain Dara, Syria Ain Dara (modern name) is the oldest temple in the territory of modern Syria. The opening of the temple was the result of the accidental discovery of a huge basalt lion in 1955. Archaeological excavations in 1956, 1962, 1964 and 1976 were carried out by Maurice Dunant and Feisal Seirafi.
Ain Dara, built of three parts, different in structure, basalt blocks on a limestone foundation. There is speculation that the temple was probably covered with a clay roof based on wooden panels - which have not survived.
On the floor are carved prints of human feet, about 1 m long. There is no end to the debate over what these footprints mean.
Ain Dara is the oldest temple in the territory of modern Syria. Geographically located 67 kilometers northwest of Aleppo in northern Syria in historic Cilicia (near the Syrian-Turkish border).
The temple itself is built on a terrace, a "tell-acropolis" with steep slopes, overlooking the Afrin Valley.
Ain Dara is considered a Hittite temple. But again, there is no exact data, so all this is presumably.
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There are endless disputes about who the temple was dedicated to: some believe that the temple was dedicated to Ishtar (the goddess of fertility), others attribute it to Astarte, or the god Baal.
The hill itself is clearly of artificial origin: a mound of earth and stone in the middle of a flat valley, which is clearly visible from this hill. Initially, the hill may have had a rectangular shape, but over time, the corners noticeably "floated" and rounded.
At the outer walls of the temple, the lowest row of basalt blocks has a well-polished surface. In some places, narrow slots are visible on these blocks - traces of a high-tech tool. A clear evidence of an ancient highly developed civilization that cannot be ignored.
In general, it is very likely that the Hittites, if they were really Hittites, only restored some much more ancient structure, adding some blocks of the upper tiers with bas-reliefs. The quality of these additional bas-reliefs is poor.
