Kerman. The new Zoroastrian temple, outside view

Kerman - new Zoroastrian temple

Kerman - new Zoroastrian temple, inside

Kerman - new Zoroastrian temple, inside

Kerman - Shah.Verahram.Izad, old kitchen

Kerman - Inside Shah.Verahram.Izad

Kerman - Old Zoroastrian temple, inside

Kerman - Zoroastrian-temple entrance

Kerman - Old Zoroastrian temple

Kerman - "Atashgah" street

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Peer-e-Sabz Pilgrimage. View at night

Peer-e-Sabz Pilgrimage. Story of the Peer: In the name of God. As it appears in historical and religious documents, as well as the legends passed amongst generations, during the reign of Yazdgerd the Third - the last Sassanid king - due to the continual destabilization of Iran, Yazdgerd thought to migrate his dynasty from Madaen to Yazd which was considered a relatively safe location. According to his orders, a city complete with all the protective measures of the day (including a moat, towers, and a perimeter fence) was created and his dynasty was migrated to that location; it is possible that the name Yazd is reminiscent of Yazdgerd and the remains of this ancient fort and moat could be in the old neighborhood of Yazaran. [translation incomplete]

Peer-e-Sabz Pilgrimage. A small group chatting on the opposing hill

Peer-e-Sabz Pilgrimage. On the way out...

Peer-e-Sabz Pilgrimage. Crowds inside the shrine

Peer-e-Sabz Pilgrimage. Crowds inside the shrine

Peer-e-Sabz Pilgrimage. Crowds inside the shrine

Peer-e-Sabz Pilgrimage. And crowds inside the shrine

Peer-e-Sabz Pilgrimage. Even more crowds outside the shrine

Peer-e-Sabz Pilgrimage. The small alley ways were now packed

Peer-e-Sabz Pilgrimage. Children's group prayer

Peer-e-Sabz Pilgrimage. Still more people kept on coming

Peer-e-Sabz Pilgrimage. Crowd starting to build up during the main pilgrimage evening

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Peer-e-Sabz Pilgrimage. Mobile tower inauguration ceremony

Peer-e-Sabz Pilgrimage. Religious ceremony inside the shrine

Peer-e-Sabz Pilgrimage. Zoroastrian priest during the inauguration ceremony

Peer-e-Sabz Pilgrimage. Actual inauguration ceremony

Peer-e-Sabz Pilgrimage. Another peek at the mobile-site equipment. I figured I would never get a chance to see the cell-site equipment from this close. To my surprise, there wasn't much to it...

Peer-e-Sabz Pilgrimage. A peek at the mobile-site equipment after the inauguration ceremony

Peer-e-Sabz Pilgrimage. Kourosh, showing off his cell-phone in front of the cell-phone tower, before the inauguration ceremony

Peer-e-Sabz Pilgrimage. A closer view of the mobile-phone tower.

Peer-e-Sabz Pilgrimage. Another view from our sleeping quarters. Note the recently-installed mobile phone tower on the bottom left-hand corner.

Peer-e-Sabz Pilgrimage. Panoramic view from our sleeping quarters

Peer-e-Sabz Pilgrimage. Thank goodness for the makeshift equipment-rental room

Peer-e-Sabz Pilgrimage

It is difficult for me to correctly describe in words the feeling of being in the presence of a force – the force of belief and tradition - which in one or two night draws some four or five thousand people to a location which throughout the rest of the year hosts at most 10 people a day. The mixture of spirituality along with the sense of freedom from the normal governing rules create an air of jubilation which I dare say is impossible to recreate in the Western world.

Strangely, it was in a place like this where I missed my friends the most, as I was more of an observer than a participant. This feeling of unanimous joy and unity was one which I had not felt for many years – one which I sincerely hope to share with my friends from the U.S. in the coming years, or at least partially through these pictures.

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Yazd. An ancient tower-of-silence

Yazd. Ancient tower-of-silence - view from far

Yazd. Sarve-cham

Yazd. Sarve-cham Zoroastrian sanctuary

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Yazd. House of the Magi. Zoroastrian oil painting exhibition - courtyard

Yazd. House of the Magi. Zoroastrian oil painting exhibition (courtyard on the right)

Yazd. House of the Magi. Zoroastrian oil painting exhibition 

Yazd. House of the Magi. Zoroastrian oil painting exhibition 

Yazd. House of the Magi. Zoroastrian oil painting exhibition 

Yazd. House of the Magi. Zoroastrian oil painting exhibition 

Yazd. House of the Magi. Zoroastrian oil painting exhibition 

Zoroastrian Painting Exhibition in Yazd

While visiting Yazd, I had the privilege of visiting a display of oil paintings by the Zoroastrian artist Susan Varjavand. The pictures were displayed in a newly restored Zoroastrian home from the ancient times.

Walking in the galleries of this restored home and seeing the paintings displayed in a truly professional manner was a rare and inspiring experience.

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Adrekan. Peer-e-Sabz. View looking out

Adrekan. Peer-e-Sabz. Water driplets come down ever so slowly

Adrekan. Peer-e-Sabz. Inside the shrine 

Adrekan. Peer-e-Sabz. Inside the shrine 

Adrekan. Peer-e-Sabz. Inside the shrine 

Adrekan. Peer-e-Sabz. Entrance to the shrine 

Adrekan. Peer-e-Sabz. Steep climb up 

Adrekan. Peer-e-Sabz. Outside view 

Adrekan. Peer-e-Sabz. On the way 

Adrekan. Peer-e-Sabz. On the way 

Adrekan. Peer-e-Sabz. On the way 

Aghda. Pars-Banou. Inside the shrine

Aghda. Pars-Banou. Inside the shrine 

Aghda. Pars-Banou. Stone tablet outside of the shrine 

Aghda. Pars-Banou. Entrance to the shrine 

Aghda. Pars-Banou. Outside view 

Aghda. Pars-Banou. Outside view 

Ardekan. Peer-e Herisht. Panoramic view 

Ardekan. Peer-e Herisht. Inside the shrine 

Ardekan. Peer-e Herisht. Inside the shrine 

Ardekan. Peer-e Herisht. Entrance to the shrine 

Ardekan. Peer-e Herisht. View from above 

Ardekan. Peer-e Herisht. View from far 

Ardekan. Peer-e Herisht. View from far 

Ardekan. Peer-e Herisht. On the way 

Ardekan. Peer-e Herisht. On the way 

Sacred Zoroastrian Sites

There are several sites near Ardekan and Yazd that are considered sacred by Zoroastrians. The sites hold such importance that a yearly pilgrimage is planned for some of them, drawing thousands of Zoroastrians world-wide. There are five or six such pilgrimage sites, termed peers. Legend has it that during the Arab invasion of Iran, the wives and daughters of the remaining Sassanid kings (Yazdgerd III) fled into the mountains surrounding Yazd – and were ‘taken in’ by the mountain. The supposed spot of this occurrence is considered sacred by Zoroastrians and a shrine is built around it.

The largest and most important of these sites, Peer-e-Sabz or Chak Chak is now an officially recognized historical site by the Iranian Travel and Tourism Company and is listed in all of their distributed brochures. The setting for Chak Chak is quite impressive, as one must travel close to 45 minutes in the desert before seeing the shrine and the sleeping quarters for the pilgrims. The term Chak Chak literarily means ‘drop by drop’, as the shrine receives drops of water all year round – which is collected and used during the pilgrimage.

We visited all of these sites on off-peak dates.

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Only in Iran. Traditional Zoroastrian Woman clothing

Only in Iran. Traditional Zoroastrian Woman clothing 

Only in Iran. Traditional Zoroastrian Woman clothing

Only in Iran. Traditional Zoroastrian Woman clothing 

The ‘Traditional Zoroastrian Woman’ picture series

I had the privilege of visiting several sites and occasions where Zoroastrian women were dressed in their traditional clothes. The traditional clothes are typically worn by elders and in the more central Zoroastrian cities and villages. They are also worn on special religious occasions.

On this topic, the Lonely Planet book writes the following text:

“Zoroastrian men aren’t easily distinguished from Muslims, but Zoroastrian women can be recognized by their patterned headscarves and embroidered dresses with white, cream or red being the predominant colors. They never wear chadors (black covering garments), although they follow the strict hejab laws governing women’s dress.”

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Esfahan. Ancient fire-temple. Kourosh and Dutch tourists on the top

Esfahan. Ancient fire-temple. View from the top 

Esfahan. Ancient fire-temple. View from the top 

Esfahan. Ancient fire-temple. View from the top 

Esfahan. Ancient fire-temple. View from the top 

Esfahan. Ancient fire-temple. Kourosh inside the temple, and possible cover for next album 

Esfahan. Ancient fire-temple. Main temple on top 

Esfahan. Ancient fire-temple. The tablet reads: "Atashgah". The Atashgah mountain, with a height of 1680 meters above sea level and located to the West of Esfahan, covers an approximate area of 36,000 squared meters. During the Sassanid era, its religious structures included a fire-temple and various prayer rooms. The small room which still stands from those times is where the fire was kept. The Atashgah mountain and its enclosed historical remains have been recorded as item number 380 in the national archives and any invasion, alteration, or damage to its site are considered unlawful and subject to criminal pursuit under the Islamic Protective laws.

Esfahan. Ancient fire-temple. Overall view 

Abandoned fire-temple of Esfahan

On this trip, I had the privilege of visiting the abandoned fire-temple of Esfahan, which was operational some 2000 years ago. The climb to the top was pretty rough and at parts very dangerous; to my surprise I met a lot of Western tourists there. One particular Dutch couple shared with me that Iran was an absolutely great place to visit and - very easy - to navigate.

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Esfahan. Zoroastrian temple. Another painting inside the temple

Esfahan. Zoroastrian temple. Inside the fire-temple

Esfahan. Zoroastrian temple. Painting donated by an Italian visitor to the temple 

Esfahan. Zoroastrian temple. Residing priest, Mobed Nikdin

Esfahan. Zoroastrian temple (heading reads: Darb-e-Mehr Gowhar and Mehraban) 

Esfahan. Zoroastrian temple 

Esfahan. Zoroastrian temple 

Esfahan Zoroastrian Temple

We spent a couple of hours at the Esfahan Zoroastrian Temple, where I had a lengthy discussion with the residing priest (Mobed Behzad Nikdin) about the issues of Zoroastrian immigrants in the U.S.