Yazd: Dakhmeh-ye-Zartushtioon or Towers of Silence. Zoroastrian burial grounds

 Yazd: Dakhmeh-ye-Zartushtioon or Towers of Silence. Zoroastrian Burial Grounds

This place has spooky vibes and this feeling became intensified as we arrived at dusk. A mountain towered over us and blended in among the mist which made the feeling even more exotic.

As I understand the story, Zoroastrian believers would carry their deceased up the mountain, ( it took me about 15 or 20 minutes to climb the mountain carrying nothing) where there is a huge pit in the centre. The corpse would be left there for vultures to chew and consume the corpse's flesh. Later, some acid would be poured over the remains to fully assist in the disintegration process. There were small buildings near by the mountain where each village would have their own gathering place before the procession up the mountain. 

When we reached the top of the mountain, it was completely dark and I was feeling especially spooked and really had a sense that I felt "something" up there. I was relieved and felt better when we were back on the ground and away from that mountain.

Lights from the distant city of Yazd.

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YAZD: Exploring the streets of Yazd

YAZD: This is a dusty town in the desert with an exotic frontier feel, although far from any frontiers as Yazd is in central Iran. Life here seems to go slower, even the traffic was slow enough that I had no worries crossing the streets here on my own! There is a noticeable accent when people speak here, even a non Persian speaker can notice it. Like Esfahan, this area is more conservative and most of the women in public are clad in a more complete chador than their Teheran sisters.

A huge mosque proudly stands as a famous landmark and focal point of Yazd. Being told that it was built over 700 years ago and it never had any restoration done on it is purely amazing!

There are many small winding streets which conjure up Middle Eastern intrigue in my mind, and also some interesting bazaars. We paid a visit to a local bakery which had the best na'an bread ever, and there were different flavoured variations of na'an bread.

There was a whole wall with different signs with various Koranic verses posted on it.

A symbol from Karballa

 An interesting man at his own shoe repair station

 A weapon and ammunition shop in the bazaar. It makes me think of N. W. F. P. in Pakistan near Peshawar.

I spied a mullah conversation during my early morning stroll.

زورخانه  Zurkhane is a place where young and older men of different skill levels group together to exert and show off their strength in forms of dancing, spinning similar to Sufi dervish in Turkey, as well as lifting heavy weights and metal objects. They have a powerful and mesmerising chant which they simultaneously  chant in unison which strengthens the group power and cohesion together. The chants, sometimes frenzied, combined with the group effort energy can amount to a great force!

 From my observations, I could understand how, during the Iran and Iraq war how the dynamics of group "basij" and frenzied and mesmerising chants, coupled with the belief of instant entrance to heaven after martyrdom could set groups off for fighting in a war.
I was sitting among Iranian young guys. They were wearing fit athletic shirts and were very attentive to the men in the centre ring doing all the athletic action.
Two of them glanced at me a few times and I turned to look at them and we all smiled at each other simultaneously, followed by a giggle. Great fun!

The Zurkhane seems to be kept open easier due to tourist visits which supplements their costs of running the place.

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