Petit Grotte Rock-cut niches Sandstone wall View of fluvial cirque | |
  Shown within Madagascar | |
| Alternative name | Tenika |
|---|---|
| Region | Ihorombe |
| Coordinates | 22°18′09.47″S 45°18′27.20″E / 22.3026306°S 45.3075556°E |
| Part of | Isalo Massif |
| History | |
| Material | Sandstone, conglomerate |
| Founded | c. 10th–12th centuries CE |
| Cultures | Zoroastrian settlers (proposed), Sakalava, Bara |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 2021, 2022, 2024 |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural styles | Rock-cut architecture |
| Architectural details | Niches, terraces, pillars, benches |
Teniky[a] is a geological and archaeological site located in the Isalo Massif, a mountainous formation in Madagascar's southwestern Ihorombe region. It is situated in relative isolation and seclusion, over 200 kilometers (120 mi) from the nearest coast. The site is notable for its unique rock-cut architecture, which is unlike any other found in Madagascar and the wider East African coast. The enigmatic complex spans nearly 8 square kilometers (3.1 sq mi), and contains precise stone walls, quarries, terraces, niches, rock-cut boulders and stone basins.
Radiocarbon dating of charcoal found at newly-discovered man-made structures at the site found them to date to the 10th–12th centuries CE. Shards of Chinese and Southeast Asian pottery found at Teniky date to the 11th–14th centuries CE. A 2024 study of the rock-cut niches at Teniky identified their closest architectural parallels as first-millennium Zoroastrian niches in Iran, particularly in the Fars region, suggesting that the site may have been a necropolis constructed by settlers of Zoroastrian origin.
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