Book "Unforgettable Iran". Chapter 14.2 Attractions of Yazd
Yazd is one of the oldest cities on Earth, according to archaeologists, it has existed since the 3rd millennium BC. e. Tourists often come here to walk along the adobe streets of the old city, admire the panorama of houses with windcatchers (badgiry), visit Zoroastrian temples or go on a sightseeing tour into the desert.
Curious travelers prefer not to visit Yazd, but the province of the same name. For example, visit Meybod, with adobe houses it represents Yazd in miniature. 70 km from the city is the city of Kharanak (Kharanaq), abandoned by the inhabitants and turned into a ghost town. The village of Chak-Chak (“cap-cap” in Farsi) is also located there, where the temple of fire “Pir e Sabz” is located, thousands of pilgrims come here in mid-June.
If you come to Yazd, then start exploring it from the main attraction - the Amir Chakmak complex, the main part of which is the three-story Khoseiniya, a ritual building designed for prayers and mourning for Imam Hussein.
To the right of the complex you will see a building with five badgirs. Previously, it was a huge tank in which they stored water for the city. Upon entering, you first find yourself in a room, inside which there is a ring in a recess, and strange objects are placed around it: wooden sticks in the shape of pears of various sizes, chains with metal plates, and a tribune rises above the ring like in sports competitions. This place is called “Sahe b a Zaman Zurkhane”, that is, a gym. Athletes are engaged here according to a special method, the training consists of gymnastic and strength exercises, wooden sticks and chains are used as weights.
If you come in the evening, you will be able to participate in bodybuilding in Iranian style.
Training video on youtube:
http://youtu. be/juA18a1PaZQ
Continuing to inspect the building, go down to the floor below to look at the tank, now there is no water in it, but the scale is impressive. After that, you can go to the roof, take a few photos from there and take a closer look at the badgirs.
Reference. Badgirs (farce "ba: d" wind, "gi: r" catcher) - designed to cool the air in residential premises and reservoirs. With a slight wind, the air, passing by the windcatcher, enters its shaft and descends into the room, under which the pool is most often installed. Cooling, the flow is divided - cold air remains in the house, while hot air goes up the shaft at the opposite end of the room.
Having dealt with the reservoir, it's time to find out in the Museum of Water where this very water comes from in the middle of the desert.
The museum building is located opposite the Amir Chakmak complex, its models and illustrations clearly demonstrate that a system of canals - “ropes” (qanat) was created to transport water to the city. In the museum itself there is a descent to one of them. Many posters are dedicated to people with a special profession that combines a digger and an engineer; with the help of their calculations and calloused hands, these very “ropes” appeared. Under one of the posters it is written that the profession was so dangerous that the workers prudently descended underground immediately in white clothes.
Reference. Kanat (kyariz, kariz) is a traditional underground hydraulic system that combines water supply and irrigation systems. A source of water is found in the earth layer, then an underground channel (horizontal shaft) is made below it, which is led to a reservoir with water or to an irrigation site.
From the museum it is best to go for a walk through the old town, its streets with adobe houses and high walls. The LP guidebook advises, literally, to "get lost walking in old Yazd", if you don't have a map you will most likely do so. Let the “Tourist Information Bureau” serve as your guide, then on the way to it you will pass a three-story Khoseiniya (like Amir Chakmak), a library and a water tank with four badgirs, and you will find yourself at the Mausoleum of 12 Imams, a square building with a dome. It was built in the 11th century. and is the oldest in Yazd. Nearby is the Alexander Prison, interesting with an inner courtyard, a shop where musical instruments are made, as well as an underground tea shop, where the “rope” used to pass.
Jame Mosque 15th c. considered the tallest mosque in Iran. Its portal is richly decorated with mosaics and has two 48 meter minarets.
Mosaic is everywhere here, its small multi-colored pieces make up a huge canvas of regular geometric patterns. At the opposite exit from the mosque you will see steps going down, one of the passages to the "ropes".
I also really liked the Khazire Mosque. Its portal with two minarets and colored glass "windows" is easy to recognize. In the mosque, I was struck by a special festive atmosphere, which appeared thanks to the walls in the form of huge stained-glass windows.
The most interesting garden in Yazd is "Bagh e Dolat Abad". Built in 1750, this former residence of Karim Khan Zand is a palace surrounded by gardens. The building itself is notable for having the highest badgir in Iran. When you go inside, don't forget to close the doors and windows to admire the amazing multi-colored mosaic windows.
The excursion program around Yazd can be completed with an acquaintance with the religion of Zoroastrianism, a visit to the Temple of Fire and an unusual cemetery of adherents of this religion. Back in Azerbaijan, while visiting the "Temple of Fire Worshipers", when I asked who they were, I received the answer: "They worship fire, so fire burns in each of their temples. " Since this explanation is incorrect, it is better to start from the beginning.
Reference. Zoroastrianism (also Mazdaism) is one of the oldest religions, based on the revelation of the prophet Zarathustra (Zarathustra), received by him from God - Ahura Mazda. The holy book is called the Avesta, and the followers of the religion are called Zoroastrians (fire worshipers). According to Zoroastrianism, light is the visible image of God in the physical world. Therefore, wishing to turn to God, the Zoroastrians turn their faces to the light - the source of light represents for them the direction of prayer.
They give special respect to fire, as the most important and accessible source of light and heat for a person since ancient times. Hence the widespread outward definition of Zoroastrians as "fire-worshippers".
The Zoroastrian temple in Yazd, at the moment, it seemed to me, is a museum with all the necessary attributes: a high fence and an usher at the entrance. The temple is a small brick building, built in 1932, with the figure of Faravahar, the symbol of Zoroastrianism, on the facade and a round pond in which the building is reflected so wonderfully to the delight of photographers.
Reference. Faravahar is a kind of winged disc, which acts as the main symbol of Zoroastrianism, depicting the Fravashi (Good Spirit), a kind of guardian angel in the Abrahamic religions. Initially, it was a “winged sun” (a symbol of power and divine origin), to which a human image was later added.
Faravahar - a kind of winged disk, acting as the main symbol of Zoroastrianism, depicting Fravashi (Good Spirit)
Tourists visit the temple mainly to see and photograph the sacred fire that has been burning since 474 AD. e. Tablets in English will help you learn more about religion. In Zoroastrianism, it is believed that each person is personally responsible for the victory of good over evil. In order for this to happen, he must be guided in his actions by good thoughts, good words and good deeds.
After getting acquainted with the basics of religion, you can head to the Towers of Silence, the former cemetery of the Zoroastrians. It can be reached by city bus, then you will have to walk to the Towers themselves. This place consists of two hills ending in towers with round walls.
The small tower can be climbed quite easily, while climbing the tall tower will require some athletic training. In the center of each of the towers, recesses were dug into which bones were thrown. At the foot there are several abandoned buildings (a water tank with badgirs and several outbuildings), nearby is a modern cemetery made of concrete graves.
Reference. Zoroastrians believe in the sanctity of the natural elements and wildlife (fire, water, wind, earth, plants and livestock) as the creations of Ahura Mazda, so burying corpses in the ground (earth pollution) and cremation (air pollution) is considered a great sin. The traditional way of burial is to expose the corpse in an open, specially prepared place for disposal by birds. The corpses were transferred to a tower without a roof and tied so that the birds could not carry away large parts of the body.
After cleaning the skeleton from soft tissues, the bones were thrown into the depression of the tower.
This custom is explained by the fact that the Zoroastrians do not have any respect for the corpse, according to their ideas, the corpse is not a person, but defiling matter, a symbol of the temporary victory of Ahriman (the personification of evil) in the earthly world. However, in Iran, the traditional burial rite under pressure from Muslims was abandoned at the beginning. 1970s , and Zoroastrians now bury bodies in concrete graves and crypts in order to avoid desecrating land and water.
Author: Kozlovsky Alexander.
Book: "Unforgettable Iran". 159 days hitchhiking.
Source: http://sanyok-belarus. people. en/
