Tower of silence yazd

Zoroastrian towers of silence the ancient burial ground. Until 40 years ago, corpses could still be found on top of the towers of silence in yazd, iran, slowly disintegrating or being picked apart by desert vultures. Yazd, the desert bride is the capital of yazd province and its the second oldest continuously habitated city in the world. Yazd, modern zoroastrian shrine the ancient iranians venerated holy fires, and in yazd, one such sanctuary has survived through the ages, although the building itself is pretty recent. Zoroastrians dakhmeh or towers of silence is a little far from the city center but there are other old buildings, including a badgir windcatcher that you might find interesting. The zoroastrians of yazd used these places as open burial pits, placing their. Other than the tower in yazd there are two abandoned ones between ardakan and yazd which deliver a strong sense of horrifying silence and death to the visitor. Zoroastrian is known for the first time by the writing of the mid5 th century, herodotus, who observed the custom of iranian expatriates. The tower on the left is a little higher than the one on the right. Wellpreserved zoroastrian towers of silence are found in yazd, which is home to the majority of zoroastrian community in iran. The zoroastrian used yazd towers of silence as open burial pits, placing their deceased relatives in rows so their bodies would be feasted upon by birds of.

Silence tower to prevent this infiltration, zoroastrians purified the dead body by exposing it to the elements and local fowl on top of flattopped towers in the desert called dakhmas. Yazd tower of silence, ancient architecture, zoroastrian. Because these towers are located at a high level, you need to do a little difficult hiking to reach them. Tower of silence yazd just outside the city of yazd, there are two towers of silence. Apr 17, 2017 there are two towers of silence located on the outskirts of yazd, 10km or 15mins drive from the city centre. Tower of silence, iran, yazd my persia tours travel agency. People visit a tower of silence nested on a lonely, barren hilltop on the outskirts of yazd, central iran. Media in category tower of silence in yazd the following 64 files are in this category, out of 64 total. The zoroastrian believers ahura mazdas mitrach cult carried their dead to the towers where they were exposed to the sun and the eagles. Sorry, there are no tours or activities available to book online for the dates you. The latter is more recent and has a diameter of 25 meters. Towers of silence are a zoroastrian structure used for excarnation of a dead body by carrion bird inside a pit located on top the tower. Zoroastrians dakhmeh towers of silence yazd attraction. Climbing to the top of the towers and returning takes about 45 minutes.

The towers, like the tower of yazd, are found not only in iran. Apr 07, 2015 a dakhma, also known as cheel ghar in hindi and tower of silence not a translation in english, is a circular, raised structure used by zoroastrians for exposure of the dead, particularly to scavenging birds. There are two silence towers near yazd, built in the nineteenth century according to a design from india. We suggest you to have a look on our iran tourism packages however, read about towers of silence here, one of the tourist attractions of yazd and iran. Apr 09, 2015 the ancient burial rituals in the tower of silence were banned in the 70s in iran, she tells us. According to zoroastrian beliefs dead bodies were not buried but left in these towers to be eaten by the vultures. The modernday towers, which are fairly uniform in their construction, have an almost flat roof, with the perimeter being slightly higher than the centre. In the zoroastrian tradition, once a body ceases to live, it can immediately be contaminated by demons and made impure. There is a tower of silence on the outskirts, and the city has an ateshkadeh which holds a fire that has been kept alight continuously since 470 ad. Of wind towers, zoroastrianism and a sweet tooth be. These structures are used in zoroastrianism when the dead are exposed to scavengers.

The structures are known as dakhma, or towers of silence. Zoroastrian towers of silence a tower of silence known also. Visiting this site, gives you a wonderful feelings that brings you to the past and fills you with all the impression of history and heritage. Zoroastrian tower of silence in yazd iran used for leaving. Yazd tower of silence known also as a dakhma is a type of structure used for funerary purposes by adherents of the zoroastrian faith. Zoroastrians make up a significant minority of the.

This zoroastrian practice for the disposal of the dead inv. From the center of yazd to the tower of silence there is a distance of 10 kilometers, so to go on your own, it is recommended to take a taxi. As the first plan, we will move toward the zoroastrian towers of silence, placed on some sand hills, 15 km from southwest of yazd. Corpses were placed atop a tower to be consumed by. A tower of silence known also as a dakhma is a type of structure used for funerary purposes by adherents of the zoroastrian faith. Nevertheless, today, this place has become a tourist center and many travelers can visit this place. The interesting point about these towers is the heavy silence inside the towers. Yazd, the city of windtowers and qanats iransmiles tours. Near yazd, there are some towers of silence, which are one of the biggest and most important ritual of ancient iran. Putrefaction plateaus in iran, where the dead were sent for decontamination before going to their final resting place. Zoroastrian towers of silence in yazd, iran youtube. Zoroastrian towers of silence is 15 km from yazd and built on a low hill in safaie. The towers of silence in the indian city of bombay, now known as mumbai, around 1890.

In the desert city of yazd, it becomes hot rather quickly when the sun shines, even if it is only february. Dakhma a tower used for disposal of the dead weird. May 23, 2019 as one of the main yazd attractions, no tourist affords to miss a visit to the daunting towers of silence. From the fine persian mosaics of the masjidejame to the zoroastrian fire temple and the yazd tower of silence, from the beautiful amir chakhmakh complex to the histocial khan elari and from the madrasseekamalieh to the carved domes of the grand bazaar, there is lot of history and architecture to appreciate in yazd. Putrefaction plateaus in iran, where the dead were sent for decontamination before going to their final. Yazd desert and tower of silence yazd tours tap persia. Yazd, the metropolis in iran that grew in the middle of the desert, is a very special place in an incredibly interesting and welcoming country. In the iranian zoroastrian tradition, the towers were built atop hills or low mountains in desert locations distant from population centers. Narratives say death rituals associated with zoroastrianism aimed to attain a balance between four natural elements of fire, earth, water and air, with a look into what it calls the good and evil forces. Just please imagine 40 years ago in yazd, that corpses could still be found on top of the towers of silence in yazd, instead of buried in soil. Zoroastrian dakhma tower of silence in yazd is situated 15 km away from the southeast of the city, in a place called safaeieh.

Centuries of improvements and adaptation to survive extreme climatic conditions, led the builders of the city to provide shapes and structures that look, to the eyes of an alien like me, out of this world. Zoroastrian towers of silence the ancient burial ground in yazd. Distant view of tower of silence, malabar hills, mumbai. There are two towers of silence located on the outskirts of yazd, 10km or 15mins drive from the city centre. Yazd has been the main city where the zoroastrians lived after islam conquered iran. Silence tower yazd attractions yazd, being the center of zoroastrianism and the main religion of some of the persian great empires, yazd is the city you would not want to miss. To travel to yazd from anywhere in iran, you are offered several options, such as plane, bus, train and personal car. Tower of silence known also as a dakhma is a type of structure used for funerary purposes by adherents of the zoroastrian faith.

Yazd s heritage as a center of zoroastrianism is also important. This zoroastrian practice for the disposal of the dead involves the exposure of the corpse to the sun and vultures. Other than the tower in yazd there are two abandoned ones between ardakan and yazd which deliver a strong sense of horrifying silence and death to the. Entry to the hill is strictly prohibited for nonparsees. The central pit of the nowdefunct tower of silence at yazd, iran. The crypt or tower of silence is a place that zoroastrians put their carrions in it that unto their beliefs are unclean and foul until dead meat is eaten by predators and birds and then stashed remainder of bones inside shaft, middle of crypt. Jul 24, 2019 because the distance of the silence tower to the cities became less and less daily, until in 1978 the burying of corpses in the cells was completely illegal and dissolved. Walking through the streets and alleys of the old town will leave you astonished at the adobe architecture of badgirs wind tower, the old houses with tall walls, and narrow alleys. Zoroastrians believed in the sacredness of fire, water, wind and soil and they kept their environment so clean to avoid the impurity of the natural elements.

Photo about zoroastrian tower of silence in yazd, iran. Tower of silence, yazd, iran the tower, which because of its remote location in the middle of the desert has remained largely unaffected to the battles and destruction of wars, is an 8meter circular structure built on top of a hilltop in southeastern of yazd and primarily was used for funerary purposes by adherents of the zoroastrian faith. View all hotels near towers of silence on tripadvisor. Towers of silence yazd, travel to iran, iran destination. Zoroastrian tower of silence dakhmeh zartoshtian yazd attractions. Iran destination is a welloperated iran tour operator which makes your trip to iran easy. We visited a macabre place, the ancient sky burial site of the zoroastrians in yazd, iran. Other tourist attractions in the yazd are dolat abad garden, museum of mirrors and lighting, amir chakhmaq complex, and zoroastrian fire temple. Towers of silence in yazd, a zoroastrian sky burial site. This practice has been used traditionally by zoroastrians, though it has become less common in recent times. Towers of silence where antiquity meets modernity tehran times. Tower of silence, yazd, iran illustration ancient history. Dakhma or tower of silence the place for mourning in ancient iran.

Tower of silence is a unique place to learn history and the ways of funeral zoroastrians did just 60 years ago. The towers were built far from the city to prevent disease transmission, it includes towers and resting places for. Zoroastrian towers of silence yazd, iran atlas obscura. Both of these towers can be seen in the image above. An early 20th century photograph of an iranian tower of silence. Visit zorastrian towers of silence on your trip to yazd or iran. We suggest you to have a look on our iran tourism packages however, read about towers of silence here, one of the tourist attractions of yazd and iran about towers of silence in yazd. Tower of silence and zoroastrianism in iran travel with all.