Zoroastrianism in Yazd…

I enjoyed visiting this Zoroastrian Fire Temple in Yazd, while exploring religion in Iran (the birthplace of Zoroastrianism) as a guest speaker for the Commonwealth Club of California. The main principles of the Zoroastrian religion, founded by Zoroaster, are: “good thoughts, good words, good deeds.” Zoroastrians believe in one God, and see the world burdened with a battle between good and evil — it is incumbent upon each believer to fight for the good/divine, which is represented by fire or light in their ritual practices. Zoroastrian communities are found around the world in places like Iraq, India, Kurdistan, China, and the United States (check out the new Arbab Rustam Guiv Dar-e-Mehr Zoroastrian Temple in New York).

Upon entering the Atash Kadeh fire temple in Yazd, we were greeted by this portrait of the Prophet Zoroaster. Hanging on all of the walls of the temple are framed religious texts with messages in Persian and English to inspire “good thoughts, good words, good deeds.” Many tourists in Iran are surprised to find that they can freely visit active places of worship like fire temples and churches and interact openly with Iran’s religious minorities. Under Article 19 of Iran’s Constitution, all citizens of Iran, regardless of their race, language, or color, are entitled to equal rights. Recently, President Rouhani consulted the Zoroastrian community about changes to the citizenship charter.

The centerpiece of the temple is the eternal flame (non-Zoroastrians are not allowed to get any closer to the fire than this). It was almost impossible to take a photo with it, as there were so many people in the temple vying for a glimpse. This marvelous fire temple was just the first stop of our on-the-road exploration of Zoroastrian history, belief, and practice in Yazd.