Built by Tiridates, a Parthian crowned as king of Armenia by the Roman emperor Nero, the temple of Garni has a Greek architecture and is dedicated to Mithras, a Zoroastrian God whose cult spread among the Roman army. It is an example of intertwined influences on the Silk Roads and Eurasia in general.
Armenia, at the crossroads of Asia Minor, Caucasus and Persia turned into a battleground between the Romans and the Parthians, among others.
In the first century, king Tiridates concluded peace with the Roman emperor Nero and laid his crown before him to be crowned as King of Armenia in return.
Some sources affirm that Tiridates used some magical ritual on Nero. At that time, the cult of Mithras, the God of Sun – deeply rooted in Zoroastrianism – emerged in the roman Pantheon.
Coming back from Rome with roman engineers and a substantial financial support, King Tiridates built this temple of Garni in honour of Mithras somewhere around 66.
