Everything about Fire temple of Yazd
One of the attractions of Yazd is the peaceful coexistence of religions in it. This can be understood from the existence of various religious buildings in Yazd; In the heart of the city, there is the building of the Yazd Fire Temple, which stands out, and a few neighborhoods away, the Yazd Jame Mosque can be seen.
Today in this article of Chiyakotravel, we want to take a look at one of the Zoroastrian religious buildings. Few people enter this city and do not ask the address of this fire temple of Yazd. Zoroastrians have also opened the door to this place for everyone to give the opportunity to visit the fire temple of Yazd, extend a hand of friendship to the people and show a part of their culture.
Adorn your being with good words, good deeds and good thoughts and walk to the fire temple of Yazd with us…
Why Yazd Fire Temple?
- It is one of the most important Zoroastrian buildings in Iran.
- It is a fire that is more than 1500 years old.
- It is one of the main attractions of Yazd.
- By visiting the exhibition of this fire temple, you will get acquainted with Zoroastrian customs.
- It has a pleasant and relaxing atmosphere.
Introduction to Yazd Fire Temple Zoroastrian shrine
Fire temple is the name of a type of Zoroastrian shrine where fire is seen in a special place and the most important religious prayers such as reciting Avesta and Ghats are performed in it and in front of the fire.
Yazd Fire Temple is one of these shrines that was built during the first Pahlavi era and is of great value to Zoroastrians. This place is also known as the Fire Temple of Varhoram, and it houses the sacred fire of Varhoram, which we will discuss in detail below.
It is not bad to know that the doors of this place have been open to visitors since the 1960s (late 30s or early 40s) and its name has been in the list of national monuments of Iran since September 13, 1999 with the registration number 2431.
Architecture of Yazd Fire Temple
Passing through the entrance of Yazd Fire Temple, your eyes fall on the pool, which is located directly in front of the main building. One of the characteristics of fire temples is the presence of water next to them, which can be seen in the structure of all these buildings. Since past, fire temples were simple, glamorous buildings, and usually had no decorations on any of them. Yazd Fire Temple has followed the same rule and its construction has been inspired by the architecture of the building of the Indian-Persian Fire Temple, and the Achaemenid architecture, especially Persepolis.
The main building of fire temple is located and designed in such a way that it can make the most of sunlight and as a result a lot of energy remains in it.
The water supply required for the complex was provided by Ab Anbar, Gavro, Pakneh (a step in the aqueduct) and the aqueduct road, which are all accessible. There are also old bathrooms and toilets on the grounds that introduce visitors to the lifestyle of people in 80 years ago.
The main building of the fire temple is located in the middle of the courtyard and on a platform 21 meters above the ground, and it can be reached by walking 8 steps. The courtyard of the fire temple is always green and cypress and pine trees stand out in it. There are stone capitals in front of the main building and the walls are decorated with flowery stones all of which are the heritages of Isfahanian artists. They cut the stones in Isfahan and then transferred them to Yazd.
Upon entering the building, we see the walls adorned with images of Zoroaster and quotes from the Avestan Bible, and a little later our eyes light up on the sacred fire.
Sights of Yazd Fire Temple
In Yazd Fire Temple, you can see interesting parts and visit the following attractions:
1- Picture of Farvahar | Design on the forehead of the building
One of the most attractive decorations of the Yazd Fire Temple building is the Farvahar painting which stands out above the entrance. Farvahar is one of Mazdayasna which according to the Mazdis (followers of Zoroastrianism), existed before the emergence of beings and after their death and destruction, the way to the world ascended and remained there. This force, which can be called the essence of life, is immortal and never decays. The Farvahar of every being is present in the Mazdayasna world before its material creation, and after creation it descends and accompanies the desired being. After the death of every creature, its Farvahar returns to the Forouhari world.
Forouhar painting of Yazd Fire Temple is a work of Yazdi tile artists and it has a special elegance and beauty.
2- Holy fire of Yazd fire temple
One of the reasons for the importance of this fire temple for Zoroastrians is the preservation of the sacred fire of Varhoram which is more than 1500 years old and is very sacred to the followers of Zoroastrianism. During the reign of the Sassanid kings over Iran, there were three fires that were more prestigious due to their antiquity and were called “Fire of Varhoram” meaning “fire of victory”. Azarfarnbagh fire temple in Karian Fars city was one of the fire temples that contained the fire of Varhoram. This fire was brought to Yazd in the tenth century AD to escape the invasion of foreigners and was placed in the big fire temple of the city, but this fire temple was destroyed around the year 496 AH. Zoroastrians hid the sacred fire in a cave on the mountain of Eshkaft Yazdan which was located between Aqda and Pars Banu to stay safe. This fire was in this cave for 30 years until it was transferred to one of the Zoroastrian villages around Yazd and then it was transferred from one village to another for 200 years so that it would not fall into the hands of the invaders.
With the declaration of consent of Reza Shah Pahlavi for the construction of the fire temple in Yazd, the location of this fire was also determined and it was transferred there in April 1321.
3- Varjavand Hall
It was in 1318 that Mr. Jamshid Amanat built a hall and a water reservoir in memory of his wife in the Yazd Fire Temple complex. The hall building was destroyed and unusable in 2002 due to old age. Engineer Parviz Varjavand renovated this hall and completed the renovation of building in the style of old buildings in 2008. He did this in memory of his parents, Dr. Fereydoon Varjavand and Dolat Rostami, and the name of Varjavand remained on the hall.
Now Varjavand Hall has become an exhibition where you can learn more about Zoroastrians, their traditions and religious customs. Mock-ups are made here, each with its own costume. In one corner, your eye falls on the table of the bride and groom and you read about it, and in another place you get information about the Nowruz table and the ceremony of the followers of this religion. You also know the Zoroastrian prayers and the ritual of dressing in the same hall and you can understand the religious customs.
4- Water reservoir of Yazd fire temple
We said earlier that Jamshid also built a water storage deposit in the Zoroastrian fire temple. Today, this reservoir can be visited on the ground floor of Varjavand Hall. In this space, before entering Ab Anbar, you will encounter an exhibition space and you can see pictures taken by various photographers on subjects related to Zoroastrians. From Nowruz to prayers and religious customs; All and all are displayed in the form of photos.
In a corner of the exhibition hall, you have to go down the stairs to enter the water storage. The end of the staircase was blocked in the past and people used water from the tap that was installed at the bottom of the water tank. Now this valve and wall have been removed so that tourists can enter the water storage space. The water of the aqueduct enters through the upper valve of the water tank so that people can access it. Several footprints can be seen in the wall of the reservoir and between the top and bottom valves, which have been used for emergency entry.
Rituals of entering the fire temple
Yazd Fire Temple is a sacred place and there are something you should respect to enter it:
- Men and women must be clean when entering this place.
- The sanctity of this place among Zoroastrians is like a mosque among Muslims, and women cannot enter it in certain periods.
- Zoroastrian men wear white hats when entering, and women wear white scarves with light-colored clothing and take off their shoes.
- No one should approach the sacred fire because the human soul pollutes it.
Here we tell you about the importance of the sacred fire of Zoroastrians and how to prepare it:
What is Holy Fire?
In general, Zoroastrian sacred fires are several types of fires related to rituals or myths, and there are special rituals for setting them up. Fire in Mazdisna (Zoroastrian religion) is one of the best data of Ahura Mazda – the only god of the ancient Iranians and Zoroastrians – and is mentioned as a mediator between the Creator and the creature. In Avesta, fire is often mentioned as the son of Ahuramazda, and for this reason, the religion of Zoroaster has set special rules for it; For example, no one should blow on fire and pollute it; Even the firefighter has to put a special mask called padam on his mouth and nose.
