Travel to Iran: Zoroastrian Sites: June 2005

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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. 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

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.