I travelled by bus across Iran to seek out the world’s most famous fire temple – and I found it. The city of Yazd lies in the central part of the country and looks as if it has grown out of the sand itself.
“Here you will find a fire that has burned uninterrupted since the year 470,” my guidebook told me.
My anticipation grew with every mile until the city finally appeared with its low mud-brick houses. In the evening sun the unruly settlement took on a warm yellow-brown glow. “The city has half a million inhabitants and is surrounded by salt flats and stony deserts,” I read further. That last part was perfectly true.
“Why have you come here?” the hotel receptionist asked.
“Because I want to see the sacred fire.”
Early the next morning I set out for Atash Behram, as the temple is called; it means “Fire of Victory.” Before Iran was conquered by Islam in the seventh century, the inhabitants followed Zarathustra. He is believed to have lived more than 2,500 years ago and made fire the centre of people’s religious life. The religion he founded was even the state religion for around a thousand years.
In today’s Iran it has few followers. In the last census, in 2016, they numbered 24,000. Perhaps for that very reason they are mostly left in peace.
It felt good to stroll through the silent morning alleys. Along the way I noticed the city’s famous wind towers crowning the rooftops in every direction. These round, ventilated towers capture even the faintest breeze and guide it down into living rooms and bedrooms – a refined technique developed and maintained over several thousand years.
Yazd is one of the world’s oldest cities. Marco Polo described it in positive terms when he passed through in the 1270s. The city was “good and noble,” trade was large and lively. In the bazaars great quantities of silk were sold, and the local variety, known as yazdi, was highly sought after.
The fire temple I found turned out to be a low building supported by four slender columns. In the courtyard an elderly man stood with his arms full of firewood, and I immediately caught the sweet scent of sandalwood.
“You are early,” he said with a shy smile.
“Early? Don’t you open at eight?”
“Yes, but I haven’t had time to light the fire yet.”
It had gone out during the night. Later I learned that this was not so unusual. But it did not really matter, for the most important thing was that the fire belonged to an unbroken religious tradition. What mattered most were the rituals and the “line of fire” through generations. If the flame went out by accident, it was essential that it be rekindled in the proper ritual manner.
At last I was allowed inside. The sacred flame flickered in a metal urn in the innermost chamber of the temple. Since I was not a believer, I had to be content with observing it from a distance through a glass window in the adjoining room. For the faithful, the fire symbolizes the light and truth of Ahura Mazda, the highest god in the religion of Zarathustra.
According to tradition, Zarathustra received a revelation from Ahura Mazda when he was young. The name means “The Wise Lord.” He preached that there is only one supreme god, and that humanity must choose between truth and falsehood, good and evil. This was radical in a time when most religions in the region worshipped many gods. His teachings were collected in the Avesta, the sacred book of the new religion. It is said that Zarathustra himself wrote parts of it.
Yazd became an important centre for believers because the city was difficult to conquer. Many therefore remained there after the Islamic conquest of Iran in the seventh century. Today Yazd is regarded as the most important city of the small religion in Iran. Yet the first sacred fire was lit in the neighbouring town of Aqda. Over the centuries it was carried from place to place to save it from invading armies – first the Arab conquerors in the seventh century and later other warriors. Eventually it found its present home in Yazd, where the temple was built in 1934.
“Where do you come from?” one of the priests asked. He wore a white cap and an equally white robe as a sign of purity.
“From Norway,” I replied.
“That is far to the north.”
“Well,” he continued, “we are not many now, but we remain firm in our faith.”
Before walking back to the temple he fastened his padan, a white cloth, over his mouth. It is important that a person’s breath should not pollute the fire or blow dust toward the flame.
Like Muslims and Christians, the followers of Zarathustra believe in life after death. The fate of the soul is determined by how a person has lived, according to the principle of “good thoughts, good words, and good deeds.” When a person dies, the soul remains near the body for three days and three nights. On the fourth day its journey to judgment begins. It is then led to the Bridge of Judgment, where the person’s life is weighed.
Three divine figures judge the soul: Mithra, guardian of justice; Rashnu, the judge who weighs the deeds; and Sraosha, the spirit of obedience. If a person has lived a good life, the bridge becomes wide and safe, allowing the soul to cross into paradise. If the life has been marked by evil, the bridge becomes as narrow as a razor blade, and the soul falls into darkness.
Zoroastrianism is an officially recognized religion in Iran, together with Christianity and Judaism. This means that its followers may have their own temples and religious ceremonies, teach their religion, and elect a representative to the national parliament. Yet in practice they are often discriminated against. It is not easy for them to obtain public jobs, and since Iran is based on Shiite Islam they are excluded from many of the most important state positions.
From Iran the religion spread to neighbouring lands, even to India. According to tradition, a group of believers left the Persian coast about 1,200 years ago. After a long sea voyage they reached the west coast of India, where they were allowed to settle. Since then they have been known as Parsis – Persians.
A legend tells how they were received by the local ruler. He sent them a bowl filled to the brim with milk, a symbol that the land was already full. The leader of the newcomers replied by adding a little sugar to the milk without causing it to overflow. The message was unmistakable: “We will not displace you, but make society sweeter.”
The king allowed them to stay but required them to learn the local language and live peacefully with the inhabitants. He also forbade them to convert others to their religion.
When the refugees arrived in India, they also brought with them a sacred fire. It was later installed in a temple in Gujarat. Today there are eight such temples in India, where the number of believers is estimated at around 50,000. Other communities live in the United States, Britain, Canada, and Australia.
Before leaving Yazd I visited the Towers of Silence on a sandy hill outside the city. It was a circular stone structure with a platform on top. Because a dead body was considered ritually impure, the followers of Zarathustra believed it would be wrong to bury it in the ground, cremate it, or sink it in water.
The solution was to place the body on the platform at the top of the tower and let vultures and scavenging birds consume it. In the end only bones remained. These were collected and placed in a well in the centre of the tower, where they slowly dissolved under the sun and lime. In this way nature could reclaim the body without the elements being polluted. But in the 1960s the authorities banned this burial method.
“As you can see, nothing happens here anymore,” my guide said. Not even a vulture paid us any attention.
We walked slowly down the same steps.
Today the followers of Zarathustra are buried in special concrete graves so that the body does not come into direct contact with the earth.
Then it was back to the road. Ahead of me lay new miles of parched landscape.
“Listen with open ears to the highest truth,” Zarathustra proclaimed. “Think for yourself before you choose your path; every man and woman must choose between truth and falsehood.”
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Note: The prophet’s name appears in two main forms: Zarathustra, the original Iranian form, and Zoroaster, the Greek form widely used in Europe.