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Journal

A Visual Pilgrimage to Pir e Sabz, near Yazd, Iran (1)

Series:
Visual Essays

Author:
Jamshid Varza

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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