A Brief Introduction to Exploring Zoroastrian Relics in the Ancient City of Yazd, Iran — Millennium-Old Sacred Flame and Ancient Wind Towers

Yazd is an oasis city located in a desert region. Legend has it that people have lived here since seven thousand years ago, making it a relay station on the ancient Silk Road. Until the 15th century, it remained a prosperous waystation, but the city’s importance gradually declined until it was rediscovered by tourists in recent years, once again becoming one of the ancient cities in Iran that visitors must explore.

Walking through the central area of the ancient city of Yazd, you’ll find yourself surrounded by maze-like alleys and uniquely charming adobe traditional houses. The narrow streets crisscross without any signs, making it feel as if you’ve stumbled into a labyrinth. You have to memorize every turn along the way to avoid getting lost.

▲ Experience the local customs and culture of Yazd.

Yazd is known as the "City of Wind Towers." Throughout the old city, you’ll see wind towers on residential buildings. Residents build these towers—shaped like four- or six-sided pillars, about five to six meters high—on their rooftops. The towers capture wind from all directions, channeling it down through ventilation shafts into the house. Cool air is drawn inside while hot air is expelled from the other side, using convection to circulate air and achieve a cooling effect.

In the scorching desert region, wind towers are an indispensable architectural feature. In addition, there’s another unique structure called an "ice tower" that is equally astonishing. From the ground, ice towers appear as semi-circular domes, but they hold hidden ingenuity inside. Ice towers vary in size, with internal depths ranging from one to several stories. These were traditional structures used by locals in the past to store water and ice. To enhance the cooling effect, wind towers are also built next to the ice towers.

▲ Towering above the rooftops are the wind towers.

▲ Take a photo with the wind towers in the City of Wind Towers.

In addition to the architecture in the ancient city of Yazd, which evolved in response to local climatic and geographical factors, there’s also a nearby religious sanctuary that’s worth visiting. This is because this ancient religion, which flourished in Persia in ancient times, now has very few places around the world where its religious activities are still practiced.

Iran may give the impression of being a country where almost the entire population practices Islam, but in reality, although Islam holds a higher status than other religions in Iran, the authorities still allow people the freedom to believe in other faiths. Especially in the city of Yazd, an ancient religion—Zoroastrianism—is widely practiced. This religious sanctuary is called "Chak Chak," located about seventy kilometers northwest of Yazd. It features a Zoroastrian temple built against a mountain, not very large, and only accessible through a copper gate. The most sacred part of the temple is a spring that flows down along the mountainside.

Legend has it that in the 7th century AD, a Persian princess fled to Chak Chak to escape invading Arabs. At that time, she faced both the threat of the enemy and a lack of water. She prayed to the gods, and miraculously, a mountain spring appeared while the cliff split open, allowing the princess to evade the enemy. The “drip, drip” sound of the spring became the origin of the place’s name.

This Zoroastrian temple attracts followers from around the world who gather for pilgrimage every year in mid-June. Having read Jin Yong’s novel “The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber,” I still vividly remember the depiction of the connection between the Ming Cult and the Zoroastrianism of Persia. In my view, this place is like the Persian headquarters of the Ming Cult in the novel.

Zoroastrianism, also known as the "Fire Worship Religion," is one of the oldest surviving religions in the world. It is said to have been founded by Zoroaster, hence it is also called Zoroastrianism. Zoroastrianism was once regarded as the state religion of Persia, but when the Arab Empire conquered the Persian Empire, Zoroastrianism was marginalized by Islam. Some followers who refused to convert to Islam were forced to migrate to India, Central Asia, and even a small number to China. Those who remained in Persia concentrated in the Yazd area. According to statistics, there are currently about 150,000 Zoroastrian followers worldwide, with around 10,000 in Yazd alone.

Zoroastrianism is named after its main religious ritual characteristics. Also called Zoroastrianism, it is named after the ancient Persian prophet who founded it. In the mid-3rd century, it spread to China, and by the mid-4th century, it had reached the Central Plains, where its deity was called “Hu Tian.” By the Tang Dynasty, it was called “Xian” (Xian), a phonetic transcription based on its foreign pronunciation, created by the Tang people to represent its worship of celestial deities.Mr. Chen Yuan once verified: “Not calling it a foreign celestial deity but calling it Xian clearly indicates it is a foreign celestial deity.” This implies that Xian is a high-level cultural summary of Zoroastrianism in Chinese culture.

In short, whether called Xian Religion, Zoroastrianism, or Zoroastrianism, these are all names given by outsiders based on the sect’s characteristics. As for what the followers call it themselves, the information is lacking and difficult to verify today.

Zoroastrianism originated in Central Asia and later spread across Eurasia with the expansion of ancient Persia and the subsequent Sassanian Empire. At its peak, its influence extended east to China, west to Greece, south to India, and north to the Caucasus region.

There is considerable debate about the origins of Zoroastrianism. Based on the existing scripture “Avesta” (Zent-Avesta) and artifacts and literature unearthed today, experts have determined that the Xian Religion likely originated around 1100 BC, definitely earlier than the Achaemenid Dynasty period.

During the Achaemenid period, Zoroastrianism was revered as the state religion. In practice, however, the Achaemenid kings long pursued a policy of religious tolerance. Although Zoroastrianism held a lofty status, it did not influence national politics. The Parthian Empire, which succeeded ancient Persia, was originally a province of the Persian Empire before breaking away from Seleucus, a general of Alexander the Great. The worship of Zoroastrianism had already become an established custom. However, both dynasties implemented policies of religious tolerance and separation of religion and politics, with Zoroastrianism being just one of many religions.

The Sassanian Dynasty’s early ancestors were traditionally the head priests of the Anahita Water Goddess Temple in Istakhr, Fars Province. Thus, Zoroastrianism entered a phase where secular and spiritual power were combined—that is, the theocracy phase. Later, its highest-ranking clergy, the Mobed, could even arbitrarily depose or enthrone kings. This marked the zenith of Zoroastrianism’s power.

In 651 AD, Islamic Arabs killed Yazdegerd III (632–651 AD), leading to the fall of the Sassanian Dynasty. Under the influence and pressure of Islam, a large number of Zoroastrian followers converted, losing their former power and gradually declining. Today, there are still about 100,000 Zoroastrians worldwide, mainly distributed along the eastern border of Iran and the northwestern border of India.

Near the city center, there is also a Zoroastrian temple built in 1932. The most fascinating part is the thousand-year-old sacred flame burning in the temple hall. According to historical records, this flame has been burning since 470 AD, was moved to Yazd in 1474, and finally placed in this temple in 1940.

▲ The flame in the Zoroastrian temple.

Visitors can only view this thousand-year-old sacred flame through glass from a distance, but the flame has an inexplicable allure that makes you want to feel its warmth up close. Driven by curiosity and after a persistent effort of communication, I was eventually granted special permission to enter the shrine and see the flame up close.

Although this ancient religion has now faded into a mysterious faith in the eyes of the world, Zoroastrianism still holds a significant place in the history of world religions. It has had a profound influence on the doctrines of later Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. If you have the chance to visit Yazd, I highly recommend exploring these Zoroastrian relics, as they are precious cultural heritage that you won’t be able to see anywhere else, no matter how much money you spend after leaving Yazd.

What does it feel like to be close to a thousand-year-old sacred flame? Lighting a fire and standing one and a half meters away will give you a similar sense of heat, but what’s different is the added sense of sanctity in the surroundings—especially when everyone’s gaze is fixed on you as you get so close to the sacred flame. That look of admiration is truly enviable.