Posted on 06/18/2004 3:25:42 PM PDT by freedom44
YAZD, Iran (AFP) - In the burning desert north of this ancient Iranian city, the the Islamic republic's last followers of the Zoroastrian religion are making their annual pilgrimage to the temple of Chak-Chak.
"We are a species on the road to extinction," laments Babak, a man in his sixties who came from Tehran with his wife for the annual pilgrimage to one of the Zoroastrians' holiest sites -- the rocky peak of Chak-Chak.
The site is a 70-kilometer (50-mile) drive from the central Iranian city of Yazd, the historical capital of what many consider to be the world's first monotheistic religion.
From the foot of towering rocks, pilgrims make their way up hundreds of steps to a cave to pray and drink clear water from a spring.
"This grotto is a historic site for us. After the invasion of the Arabs 1,400 years ago, King Yazdgerd III escaped to this desert," recounts Ghoshtasb Belivani, head of the Zoroastrian association at Sharifabad, the nearest town.
Yazdgerd III was the last Sassanian king, and last leader of the nation before Islam was imposed as its official religion.
"He was arrested at the same time as his first daughter. They were taken to Arabia. Nikbanou, his second daughter, took refuge in the grotto to escape the invaders," Belivani explained.
"After she cried and prayed, the mountain opened up and Nikbanou entered, and the mountain closed behind her. Since then, pure water has been pouring, drop by drop, from these rocks."
Legend also has it that a petrified colourful cloth from Nikbanou was also visible in the rocks, although pilgrims eventually took this.
"It may just be folklore, but it is undeniable that somebody important or a group of Zoroastrians took refuge here," added Kasra Vafadari, a respected member of the community and a teacher of history at the University of Nanterre, France.
Furthermore, scholars point out that the route was used in following centuries for Zoroastrians fleeing Iran -- or Persia as it was formerly known -- to escape religious persecution.
Once inside the grotto, women shrouded in white cast off their veils -- obligatory in Islamic Iran -- and drink tea and wine, which is permitted for religious use by non-Muslims in the Islamic republic.
They also read the Avesta, their sacred book, and light candles and incense. The annual pilgrimage, one of the highlights of the Zoroastrian calendar, lasts just 10 days.
Along with Judaism and Christianity, Zoroastrianism is a recognized -- and therefore permitted -- religion in Iran, where officially 99 percent of the 66 million-strong population are Muslims.
The religion was founded by Zarathustra -- known to the Greeks as Zoroaster -- a Persian prophet who believed he had seen visions of a God he called Ahura Mazda. Historians believe he lived at least 600 years BC.
Zoroastrianism was also dualistic -- with God having an opponent, Aura Mainyu.
Zarathustra taught that humans are free to choose between right and wrong, truth and lie, and light and dark, and that their acts, words, and thoughts would affect their lives after death.
Their keeping of a sacred fire in their temples, symbolising light, led many to refer to them as "fire worshippers".
Many believe such precepts had a profound influence on Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Zoroastrianism also referred to an opposition between body and soul, a concept that is also central to the Islamic faith.
In a concession to their Persian roots and in contrast to many Sunni Muslim scholars, the Shiite regime here recognizes them as Kittabiyah -- or people of the book and fellow monotheists as opposed to Kufr, or infidels.
But their numbers are declining sharply. Centuries of persecution have forced many to flee to India, where they are known as the Parsi and number between 80,000 and 100,000.
Discrimination in Iran continues today, for example in seeking employment in the state sector where Muslims are preferred.
Certain practices have also been outlawed. They no longer leave their dead on "towers of silence" to be devoured by vultures and not pollute the earth.
And ironically, the faith has also fallen victims to its own laws, notably the strict laws limiting their prospects of marriage to within their own community.
"Before the (1979 Islamic) revolution, there were more than 48,000 Zoroastrians. But today there are maybe 22,000, even though the population of Iran has doubled," Vafadari said.
"People are leaving because they have no future here."
Freedom44,
Regarding your post # 5.
The Magi (during the time of JESUS' Birth) were NOT Zoroastrian.
They were Chaldeans, and were influenced by Judaism from the time of the Great Exile of the Jews to Babylon centuries before.
This is Why they knew the Hebrew Scriptures and The Prophecies concerning the details and place of HIS Birth:
The City of DAVID...Beit L'echem...The HOUSE OF BREAD.
Yeshua/Jesus is: THE BREAD OF LIFE.
Magi is a historical documented word for Zoroastrian Priest.
The three men were Magi.
Yeah it's not very hard to tell the difference between Iranians and surrounding countries in the mid-east. Iranians are generally much lighter skinned, and have different facial structure -nose, chin, jaw.
There are some parts of Iran like Kuzekstan which borders Iraq where the people are generally darker and look more Arabic, but in general the people have a different look than Arabs.
There are some parts of Iran like Kuzekstan which borders Iraq where the people are generally darker and look more Arabic, but in general the people have a different look than Arabs.
Iran is an empire -- barely half the population is ethnically Persian. The Kurds are also an Indo-European people. The Azerbaijanis are related to the Turks. There are also Arabs, Baluchistanis, Armenians, etc. There is an independence movement among Iranian Azerbaijanis. I don't know what the Iranian Kurds think about independence.
they are nearly extinct, down to barely 100,000 people. This should serve as a warning toChristians, Jews, Hindus etc. about what happens when the cult attacks.
The very term Aryan is derived from the Sanskrit-IRani word "arya" meaning nobleman/gentleman
MAzda does mean light.
If Iran returns to Zoroastrianism,t hat would be the turning point for the war onIslam
Wonder no more: Yes it did.
I read that the Zoroastrian priests were astrologers who studied the stars and that's why they followed the moving star to Bethelem. And Magi was a term used for their priests who were considered to be wise men.
At any rate it is a religion that was more suited to the Persians.
What other monotheistic religion adopted this concept?
This is a dumb post.
Judaism and Islam, and Christianity..and others, I guess..
The principles of Good and Evil
The triumph of Good
Ressurection of the Dead..
Eventual Paradise on Earth..
Ahura Mazda is the principle diety, creator of all things Good..
Ahriman is the destructive principle of Greed; Anger; and Darkness...
Was once the official religion of three major world empires.. ( the 6th century B.C. "world".)
While Judaism existed prior to Zoroastrianism, it adopted the idea of opposition between good and evil, and the symbol of Satan, as a figure in opposition to G-d..
It adopted the concept of a paradise as well, and it's opposite, Hell..
This opposition, and the clear delineation between Good and Evil helped support the concept of adherence to G-d's laws, and assisted in the incorporation of many Mesopotamian religious myths, allegories, and teachings into the Jewish religion.. (i.e., Genisis, the creation myths, etc..)
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