Yazd Fire Temple

Yazd, the city of wind towers and brick structures, is also the home of the most famous Zoroastrian fire temple in Iran which is the only temple housing Atash Bahram (literally means “the victorious fire”), the most consecrated fire.

Dating back to 1934, supervised by Jamshid Amanat and inspired by the Achaemenid architecture, it was built in the middle of a large garden surrounded by a variety of trees such as pine, cedar and cypress and consists a large round pool in a few steps ahead of the entrance which offers a photogenic scene through a fantastic reflection of the overall façade of the temple

Situated in the midst of a big courtyard, the structure of the temple magnifies its glory with the nice stone columns, walls and Faravahar (a winged figure symbolizing Ahura Mazda, god in Zoroastrianism) above the main entrance flanked by the Zoroastrian creed which includes good thoughts, good words, and good deeds designed by craftsmen from Isfahan.

The oldest fire which has been burning since about 470 CE is kept alight here after a series of displacing and is only visible from behind a glass wall and just the attached priests are allowed to enter the inner sanctum where there are no lights except the sacred flame itself representing the god of light.

The fire originates from 16 different sources such as lightning, fire from a cremation pyre, furnaces and the hearths of houses; all the 16 fires are purified before merging. Upon entering, Zoroastrians must observe the elements of cleanliness which includes going barefoot and wearing white or light-colored clothes. In the meantime, men wear white caps and women white scarves.

Registered on Iran’s National Heritage List in 1999, Yazd fire temple draws the attention of so many domestic and foreign visitors as one of the most beautiful tourist sites in the city.