Book of Daniel and the "white hot furnace"

In the Liturgy of the Hours we have recently read of the three young men thrown by an irate monarch into the flames:

3:20. And he commanded the strongest men that were in his
army, to bind the feet of Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago, and
to cast them into the furnace of burning fire.

3:21. And immediately these men were bound, and were cast
into the furnace of burning fire, with their coats, and
their caps, and their shoes, and their garments.

3:22. For the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace
was heated exceedingly. And the flame of the fire slew those
men that had cast in Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago.

3:23. But these three men, that is, Sidrach, Misach, and
Abdenago, fell down bound in the midst of the furnace of
burning fire.

3:24. And they walked in the midst of the flame, praising
God, and blessing the Lord.

I spoke with a young man who is in the Nat. Guard and had served with the 116th in Iraq in 2005. He told of visiting the site of the white hot furnace, a holy site for Christians, Jews, and Muslims near Kirkuk. I was surprised by the existance of this site, but shouldn't have been. Here are some pictures I found on the net.







Hat tip to the Virtual Tourist