http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/michaelasanda-1375732-yazd6/

On the southern outskirts of Yazd, there are two hilltop circular building, known as Dakhmeh-ye-Zartushtioon or Towers of Silence.

La periferia sudică a oraşului Yazd există două enorme turnuri circulare construite pe vârful celor două coline, cunoscute sub numele de Dakhmeh-ye-Zartushtioon sau turnurile tăcerii.

Recognized by UNESCO as holding one of the oldest architecture all over the world

Internet images

Zoroastrians have always been populous in Yazd. Even now roughly ten percent of the town's population adhere to this ancient religion, and though their Atashkadeh (Fire Temple) was turned into a mosque when Arabs invaded Iran, a dignified new fire temple was inaugurated thirteen hundred years later.

Adepţii Zoroastrismului au fost totdeauna numeroşi în Yazd, chiar şi acum depăşind 10% din populaţie. Templul lor a fost transformat în moschee de către invadatorii arabi şi abia după 1300 de ani au putut să-şi clădească altul.

Zoroastrianism (or Mazdaism) is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet Zoroaster (also known as Zarathustra, in Avestan) and was formerly among the world's largest religions. It was probably founded some time before the 6th century BCE in Greater Iran.

Zoroastrismul, una dintre primele religii monoteiste din lume, este o religie veche a popoarelor din Asia Centrală, Iran și Azerbaidjan, caracterizată prin dualismul binelui și răului, religie fondată la începutul mileniului 2 î.Hr. de profetul persan Zarathustra (Zoroastru).

Zoroastrian tradition considers a dead body—in addition to cut hair and nail-parings—to be nasu, unclean, i.e. potential pollutants. Specifically, the corpse demon (Avestan: nasu.daeva) was believed to rush into the body and contaminate everything it came into contact with, hence the Vendidad (an ecclesiastical code "given against the demons") has rules for disposing of the dead as "safely" as possible.

Zoroastrismul consideră cadavrele - ca şi părul tăiat sau unghiile – impure (nasu) şi deci contaminante, poluante. În special demonul cadavrelor (Avestan: nasu.daeva) poate contamina tot ce intră în contact cu el până când Vendidad, codul ecleziastic cuprins în marele compendiu Avesta, s-a împlinit pentru a face cadavrul cât mai puţin nociv posibil.

Constructions for ritual death and mourning customs

Construcţii destinate ceremoniilor şi riturilor de pregătire şi jelire a morţilor

To preclude the pollution of earth or fire (see Zam and Atar respectively), the bodies of the dead are placed atop a tower—a tower of silence—and so exposed to the sun and to birds of prey. Thus, "putrefaction with all its concomitant evils... is most effectually prevented.“

Pentru a exclude poluarea pământului sau a focului (sacru) cadavrele sunt aşezate în aşa numitele turnuri ale tăcerii, expuse la soare şi oferite vulturilor ca hrană. În acest fel „putrefacţia, cu toate relele sale” este prevenită cel mai de eficient

In Zoroastrianism, the Creator Ahura Mazda is all good, and no evil originates from Him. Thus, in Zoroastrianism good and evil have distinct sources, with evil (druj) trying to destroy the creation of Mazda (asha), and good trying to sustain it.

În zoroastrism, Creatorul Ahura Mazda este creatorul binelui, şi nimic din ce e rău nu provine de le el. Astfel, în Zoroastrism binele şi răul au surse diferite, răul (druj), încearcând să distrugă creaţia lui Mazda (Asha), iar binele încearcă să o susţină.

The earliest reference to ritual exposure comes from Herodotus (Histories i.140), where the historiographer describes the rites to have been secret, and "vaguely" that these first occurred after the body had been dragged around by a dog or bird. Further, the Magi (a term that eventually came to signify a Zoroastrian priest but may not have meant that in Herodotus' time) practiced this quite openly, before they finally embalmed the corpse with wax and laid it in a trench

Cea mai veche referinţă despre ritualul expunerii cadavrelor vine de la Herodot (Istorii i.140), unde descrie riturile secrete ale magilor (preoţii zoroastrieni)

While general exposure of the dead is attested from earliest accounts, the ritual customs surrounding that practice appear to first date to the Sassanid era (3rd — 7th century CE). They are known in detail from the supplement to the Sayest ne Sayest, the two Rivayat collections, and the two Saddars. The use of towers is first attested in the 16th century

În timp ce expunerea generală a morţilor este atestată din cele mai vechi timpuri, obiceiurile rituale privind aceste practici apar prima dată în epoca Sassanidă (sec 3lea-7lea). Ele sunt cunoscute în detaliu fiind publicate. Folosirea turnurilor este atestată pentru prima dată în secolul 16

In the Iranian Zoroastrian tradition, the towers were built atop hills or low mountains in desert locations distant from population centers. In the early twentieth century, the Iranian Zoroastrians gradually discontinued their use and began to favour burial or cremation.

In Zoroastrianism, water (apo, aban) and fire (atar, adar) are agents of ritual purity, and the associated purification ceremonies are considered the basis of ritual life.

În zoroastrism, apa (apo, aban) şi focul (atar, Adar), sunt factori de puritate rituală, iar ceremoniile de purificare asociate lor sunt considerate baza vieţii rituale.

The soul of a man thus remains within the precincts of this world for three days. The number three is a sacred number, because it reminds one of the three principal precepts of the Mazdayasnian religion upon which the whole of its moral structure rests. Humata, Hukhta, and Hvarshta, i.e., good thoughts, good words, and good deeds, form as it were a pivot upon which the moral philosophy of the Zoroastrian religion turns. Think of nothing but the truth, speak nothing but the truth, and do nothing but what is right, and you are saved. Your good thoughts, good words, and good deeds will be your saviors in the next world.

Therefore, it is, that, three days after death, the soul of a man directs itself towards the paradise with three steps of Humata, Hukhta, and Hvarshta. On the other hand, the soul of a wicked man directs itself to hell with three steps of Dushmata, Duzhukhta, and Duzhvarshta, i.e., evil thoughts, evil words, and evil actions.

Water reservoirs, or ab anbars as they are locally known, form the terminal end of extensive traditional water supply systems that make urban settlements possible in the Kavir desert region of Central Iran.

Rezervoarele de apă numite ab anbar de localnici sunt terminalele unor tradiţionale sisteme de aducţiune a apei care au făcut posibilă existenţa aşezărilor umane în regiunea deşertică din centrul Iranului.

The typical ab anbar consists of four key elements: the underground reservoir, the pasheer or platform, the dome, and the badgir or wind catcher shafts.

Un ab anbar tipic este format din patru elemente: rezervorul subteran, platforma, domul şi turnul vântului (badgir)

The semi-circular brick lined dome, visually much alike a Buddhist stupa, have escape vents in the center to cool water by air convection while protecting it from dust and other pollution.

Domul semicircular căptuşit cu cărămidă care pare mai degrabă o stupă budistă are guri de ventilaţie pentru răcirea apei prin convecţia aerului şi asigură protecţia împotriva prafului şi a altor forme de poluare

Sound: Hanoozam - Very sad iranian song

Text: InternetPictures: Sanda Foişoreanu Nicoleta LeuArangement: Sanda Foişoreanuwww.slideshare.net/michaelasanda

Iran