Yazd

YAZD

Yazd is the capital of Yazd Province, Iran and located in 270 km (170 mi) southeast of Isfahan. Yazd is 15th largest city in Iran. Yazd is a city in central of Iran and located in the middle of Iran plateau.

Brief Introduction

The city of Yazd is named after a Sassanid ruler of Persia, Yazdegerd I. It was the center of Zoroastrians in Sasanian Empire and still, there are quite unique structures proving this fact such as the fire temples and the Zoroastrians’ funerary towers (Towers of Silence). Being located among remote deserts has made this city a unique and beautiful desert city with rich architectural designs and structures. In 2017, Yazd was inscribed on the list of World Heritage Sites of Iran by UNESCO.

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

DOWLAT ABAD GARDEN

This garden is home to the tallest wind catcher of Iran and embraces all the elements of a delightful garden with its beautiful trees, gardening elements, unique irrigation method, and the architecturally amazing building in its center. Dowlat Abad Garden is inscribed as a World Heritage Site under the title of “The Persian Garden”.

AMIR CHAKHMAQ COMPLEX

In Amir Chakhmaq square in Yazd, there is a prominent structure with notable carved alcoves. This architectural masterpiece is composed of a mosque, a caravanserai, a bathhouse, a cold water well, and a confectionery. On the opposite side of this complex, the Yazd Water Museum is located.

JAMA MOSQUE OF YAZD

The congregational mosque of Yazd has the highest minarets of Iran, but that’s not their only distinguishing feature; In Islamic architecture, the right place for the minarets is in either sides of the
dome, but the high minarets of Jame mosque of Yazd (measuring 52 meters high) are apart from the dome which proves how the mosque has been constructed in the course of time.

THE ZOROASTRIANS FIRE TEMPLE

A fire temple in Zoroastrianism is the place of worship for Zoroastrians. The Zoroastrian Fire Temple of Yazd, also called Bahram Ateshkadeh, was built in 1934 and is Iran’s only temple housing Atash Bahram (Victorious Fire). Above the entrance, there are three inscriptions which describe the essence of Zoroastrians “Good deeds, Good thoughts, Good words”.

TOWERS OF SILENCE

A Dakhma or the tower of silence is a circular, raised structure built by Zoroastrians for excarnation. This practice has been used traditionally by Zoroastrians, though it has become less common in recent times.