Zoroastrianism is one of the world’s first religions to propose the belief in an omnipotent, invisible god. It was founded in ancient Iran around 3500 years ago by the prophet Zoroaster. Although now one of the world’s smallest religions, for around 1000 years it was one of the most powerful religions in the world and an official religion in Iran from 600 BCE to 650 CE.
The Arab conquest of Iran in 651 brought Islam with it and thus an end to Zoroastrian dominance. However there are still a number of Zoroastrian believers living in Iran and their holy places are looked after and interesting to visit.
There are some key sites around Yazd in particular. In the Fire Temple there were helpful banners in English detailing the beliefs of Zoroastrianism and some info about fire temples and celebrations. Here’s the low down on their key beliefs:
Zoroastrian beliefs
The supreme being Ahura Mazda asked that his followers pray to him in the direction of light. The only light that could be controlled in the days before electricity was fire, so they created fire temples to keep the flame burning all the time. Apparently the fire temple in Yazd has a flame which has been burning for 1540 years, albeit not always in this location.
Fire Temple, Yazd
Fire in the Fire Temple, Yazd
The other main Zoroastrian site in Yazd is on the outskirts of the city. The ‘Towers of Silence‘ are two large mounds on top of which Zoroastrians in the past took their dead. Because they believed in the purity of the elements they didn’t want to contaminate the earth by burying their dead, nor pollute the air by cremating them. Their bodies would decompose or be eaten by birds, then their bones could be buried. It was quite a walk to the top – especially if you were carrying a dead body up there. At the top of each was a pit where the bodies could be placed.
Approaching the Towers of Silence, a badgir (wind tower) in foreground. Yazd.
Tower of Silence (from below and at the top), Yazd.
The Towers of Silence are no longer used in this traditional way. These days Zoroastrians get buried in graves lined with concrete so they don’t ‘contaminate’ the earth.
We took an overnight tour from Yazd into the desert and our first stop was at Chakchak, a special Zoroastrian pilgrimage site tucked in the mountain side with fantastic views of the valley below.
According to the ticket we got, it’s famous because it is where Nikbanou, second daughter of the last pre-Islamic Persian ruler (Yazdegerd III of the Sassanid Empire) was cornered by the invading Arab army around 640CE. She prayed to her God (Ahura Mazda) to protect her from her enemies. In response, the mountain miraculously opened up and sheltered her from the invaders. According to the Lonely Planet explanation it is famous because Nikbanou fled here to escape the arab invaders but was short of water so she threw her staff at the cliff and water began dripping out – chak chak means ‘drip, drip’.
I loved the brass doors- resembling the prophet Zoroaster, and the views from here. Worth a short visit.
Chakchak, Iran
Chakchak- view from the temple & inside where the water drips.