It was unearthed by an archaeological expedition from the Georgian National Museum working at Nekresi between 1984 and 1993 and identified by its excavator, Levan Chilashvili, as a Zoroastrian fire-temple.

In 2004, another team suggested that the temple was aligned with the summer and winter solstices and it might have incorporated elements of solar worship.

Alternatively, Guram Kipiani argues that the spatial organization of the building is not compatible with that of a fire-temple and theorizes that the complex was in fact a Manichean shrine.

[2][3][4] Two construction phases are identified in the complex; the lower horizon is a ground floor and foundation of a cult building, dated to the period of the 2nd–4th century, which seems to have been deliberately demolished and parts of its building materials reused for the construction of a castle or fortified palace.

In the southwestern corner of the central building was a nearly square area made of clay, measuring 4.5 m² and containing traces of fire, leading to the conclusion that the edifice was a fire-temple.