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Series:
Visual Essays
Author:
Jamshid Varza
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For the Zoroastrians of Iran summer begins with the pilgrimage
season of Pir-e-Sabz, near Yazd in central Iran. This remote shrine is
the holiest and most often visited shrine for Zoroastrians of Iran,
mostly living in Yazd, Kerman and Tehran.
Shrine legend has it that the conquering Arab armies chased the daughter
of Emperor Yazdgird-III to this region. At the point of capture, she
prayed and asked Ahura-Mazda to protect her from her enemy. Before her
surrender, the mountain opened up and gave her eternal protection, where the
holy water spring is still dripping.
The road to Pir-e-Sabz is a dirt road starting near the village of
Elabad, north of Yazd. It is a time honored tradition for pilgrims to
stop the moment they see the sight of the shrine and continue the rest
of their journey by foot. It reminds me of the same ancient tradition
performed by Sassanian Emperors visiting the holy fire temple of
Azar-Goshasb in northern Iran....
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