Yazd Fire Temple
The fire temple of Yazd known as Atash Bahram or victorious fire was built in 1934 under the supervision of Arbab Jamshid Amanat and the sponsorship of the Parsis. The sacred fire of Yazd fire temple has been burning continuously since fifteen hundred years ago.
The city of Yazd, is the center of Zoroastrianism in Iran. It is said that Zarathustra was born in 1768 BC on north west of Iran and then he became prophet at the age of 35. This religion is the first Monotheistic religion and the they call on God as Ahura Mazda which means great, wise, creator.
Zoroastrianism was the official religion of Persia before Islam. Fire temple or Atashkadeh is a place of worship for Zoroastrians where they can perform religious ceremonies and rituals. In Zoroastrianism, human life indicates a struggle between good and evil, truth and deceit, light and darkness. That is why fire is sacred and respected as the symbol of truth and honesty.
During the reign of the Persian empire Sassanians, from 3rd to 7th centuries, three fire temples were more important than the others, because of their long history which are as follows:
- Azar Goshasb: It belonged to kings and armies which is located in Azerbaijan province near the city Takab.
- Azar Borzin Mehr: It belonged to the Farmers which is located in Khorasan province near the city Neyshabour.
- Azar Faranbagh: It belonged to the priests which is located in Fars province near the city Larestan.
After the Muslim conquest of Persia in 7th century, the Arab commanders ordered to put out the fires of the fire temples because they believed that Persians were worshiping fire. The Arabs were successful for the first two fire temples. So, the burning fire of Azar Faranbagh fire temple was transferred to the city Balkh which is nowadays located in Afghanistan. Later, the Zoroastrians hid the fire in a cave located in north of Yazd and subsequently, it was moved to Ardakan city and finally the fire was transferred to Yazd safely.
The main building is situated in the middle of a large green garden, surrounded by pine, cedar and cypress trees.
On the top of the entrance door, there is the image of Faravahar which is the symbol of Zoroastrians. The head is the symbol of an elderly man or wisdom. The ring held in the left hand is the symbol of Mithra or promise. The wedding rings have roots in this symbol. The big ring in the middle is the symbol of Karma referring to the expression of “what goes around comes around”. Also, each wing has three layers which are representing the three mottos of Zoroastrian believes. They are:
- Good thoughts
- Good words
- Good deeds
The sacred fire has a guard or “Hirbod” who takes care of the fire. Every day, he adds pieces of the wood to the fire.
Next to the main building, there is an exhibition. By visiting this place, you will be introduced to Zoroastrian customs and ceremonies.
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