Bronze statue of the goddess Anahita in Turkey

Bronze statue of the goddess 

Anahita in Turkey

A symbol of Armenian spiritual heritage the Persian goddess Aphrodite, depicted holding a veil or cloth is associated with healing and fertility Identified by the Greeks and Romans as Aphrodite she is associated with fertility and healing in the ancient Persian sense and appears in a complete form in Indo-Pacific cosmology The connection between Anahita and Ishtar is part of a broader theory that Iranian dynasties have Mesopotamian roots and that Persian gods are natural extensions of Babylonian deities

The lotus flower is a symbol of Anahita. Worship of this deity led to the creation of shrines symbolizing Aredvi Sura Anahita along with other shrines in the 4th century which persisted until their suppression following a rebellion A bronze statue of Anahita originally with bronze eyes and possibly copper lips showing intricate metalwork was discovered in the city of Zatala near present-day Sadak Dating back to approximately 200-100 BC around the 2nd or 1st century BC during the Hellenistic period a bronze hand was discovered and confirmed to be part of a larger life-sized statue

Bronze statue of Anahita / credit image : National Museum of Qatar

This remarkable piece is known for its exquisite detail and cultural significance incorporating Indo-Iranian conceptions of a celestial river that waters the rivers and streams flowing on earth The second part depicts a goddess of uncertain origin though she retains her distinctive features becoming associated with the cult of the ancient Mesopotamian goddess Inanna Ishtar. The ancient Greeks and Romans called her Anaitis or identified her as one of the gods and planets named after Anahita Through the development of various sects cultures and beliefs Anahita has been described as a fusion of Indo-Mesopotamian and Greek goddesses