Zoroastrianism is a religion I had never heard of until I went to Iran. And yet it influenced many of the worlds main religions, like Islam, Judaism and Christianity. It is one of the oldest religions still practised and the oldest one believing in one god: Ahura Mazda. It became more widespread during the Achaemenid empire, founded by Cyrus the Great. Zoroastrians believe in good thoughts, good words and good deeds. At the end of your life you’ll be judged based on that.
While we were in Yazd we learned about the Zoroastrians and visited some of their important places. We saw two towers of silence, the old place for funerals. The four elements are sacred and when a person dies, the body is tainted by evil and cannot be burned or put into the ground. Therefore the Zoroastrians had their own rituals. They built towers on top of hills. The bodies of the deceased were put into the towers, where they would rot due to the rain and might be eaten by vultures. Once only the bones were left behind, they would be collected and put in an ossuary.
These days Zoroastrians bury their dead, although the grave is lined with concrete so that the earth is not contaminated. It was only a few decades ago though, that the tower of silence was still in use. It was a bit strange to walk around there, knowing that there are still people who practise this religion. It wasn’t like walking around Persepolis, looking at the remains of a society that is long gone. This was like cemetery tourism.
At the site you can climb up to the towers, to have a look at the pit where the bodies used to lie. The people built a wall around them, because they didn’t want animals to come in and eat the bodies. But from the top of course it’s all open and these days you can walk around inside. As I came back out, I noticed the beautiful view of the city of Yazd.
Back on ground level were some abandoned mud buildings, but they were also building new ones. I’m not sure how much of the complex is still used, but the new cemetery is nearby and there are still some rituals being executed here before the dead are buried. In the buildings were some smart locals who pointed out the best photo ops and were only too happy to take photos of you, hoping for a tip. There was also a staircase leading down to the old well, where they used to get the water for the rituals. It was quite a special site to visit, with some interesting things to learn.
Another Zoroastrian site we saw that day was the fire temple. This temple is still actively used by the religious population of Yazd. The temple was quite simple, but had a fire which supposedly has been burning for more than 1500 years. They did also have a hall with some photographs of religious events and the community, which was interesting. After visiting Yazd, we would find the Zoroastrian logo everywhere, from Persepolis to the souvenirs in the bazaar. It’s remarkable for such a small religion in present-day Iran.
