{"id":24275,"date":"2018-12-25T13:17:02","date_gmt":"2018-12-25T13:17:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/?p=24275"},"modified":"2026-10-26T14:02:23","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T14:02:23","slug":"zoroastrian-towers-of-silence-yazd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/zoroastrian-towers-of-silence-yazd\/","title":{"rendered":"Zoroastrian Towers of Silence in Yazd: History and Visiting Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Towers of Silence outside Yazd are disused Zoroastrian funerary structures known as dakhmas<\/em>. They reflect a historical tradition of exposing the dead to sunlight and scavenging birds rather than placing bodies directly in the earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A visit to Yazd<\/a> reveals a city of earthen architecture, narrow lanes and ingenious cooling systems. Traditional badgir windcatchers<\/a> are among the features that make its historic landscape distinctive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The city has long been home to Muslim, Jewish and Zoroastrian communities. UNESCO recognises the Historic City of Yazd<\/a> for its surviving urban fabric and living cultural traditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zoroastrianism has deep roots in Iranian history, and Yazd became an important centre for its communities. Religious buildings and historic sites in and around the city preserve traces of that continuity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hilltop dakhmas are among Yazd’s most distinctive heritage sites. They are no longer used for funerals, but they offer an opportunity to understand a practice that should be described with cultural sensitivity.<\/p>\n\n\n

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A historic Zoroastrian Tower of Silence on elevated ground outside Yazd, Iran.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Built on elevated ground outside the old city, these roofless circular enclosures allowed sunlight and birds to reach the deceased. The surviving structures differ in size and history, so a single precise dimension should not be applied to all of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A dakhma<\/em> is a designated place for the exposure of the dead, not a conventional burial pit. Its form reflects historical Zoroastrian religious rules concerning death and the natural elements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Descriptions of later dakhmas often identify concentric areas for men, women and children. These arrangements are part of the documented tradition, although individual practices varied by place and period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A central pit or ossuary could receive bones after the exposure process. Keeping remains separate from surrounding soil and water was an important concern in the ritual system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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