YAZD (Dispatches) -- The fragrant holy fire, kept in a large bronze goblet, “has been burning for more than 1,500 years”, said Simin, a tour guide welcoming visitors to the Zoroastrian fire temple in Iran’s central Yazd province.
Zoroastrianism dates back some 3,500 years. Founded by the prophet Zarathustra, it was the predominant religion of the ancient Persian empire, until the rise of Islam with the Arab conquests of the seventh century.
Today, the Zoroastrian community is estimated at around 200,000 people who live mainly in Iran and India, AFP reported.
They venerate fire as a supreme form of purity.
Alongside water, air and earth, the elements must not be contaminated by human activity, according to their faith.
Only Zoroastrian priests are allowed in the Yazd sanctum, covering their faces to prevent vapor and breath from contaminating the sacred fire, as they take turns during the day to keep the flame burning.
The fire “can never die out”, said the tour guide.
Visitors can only observe the rituals from behind tinted glass.
In Iran, Zoroastrian leaders say the community nowadays counts about 50,000 members. The latest national census, conducted in 2016, put their number at 24,000.
“Our religion still occupies a place in the history of the world, and it will continue to exist”, said Bahram Demehri, a 76-year-old faithful from Yazd.
“The essence of Zoroastrianism, like other religions, is based on monotheism, prophecy, belief in the afterlife and benevolence,” he told AFP.
Zoroastrians believe that “good thoughts, good words, good deeds” are the key to happiness and spirituality.
Founded by the prophet Zarathustra, Zoroastrianism was the predominant religion of the ancient Persian empire, until the rise of Islam with the Arab conquests of the seventh century.
A messiah called Saoshyant will one day return and save the world by fighting wrongs, they believe.
Their teachings are embodied in Faravahar, an ancient symbol of a man emerging from a winged disc while holding a ring, which is carved on the pediments of ancient Persian temples.
“Joy is essential in the practice of our religion,” Simin, the tour guide, noted, mentioning multiple religious celebrations.
One of those festivals, Nowruz, marks the new Persian year and is celebrated to this day by Iran’s overwhelmingly Shia Muslim majority.
Tehran recognizes Zoroastrians as a religious minority, granting them freedom of worship and representation in parliament, which also reserves seats for other minorities including Armenians, Assyrians and Jews.
For Zoroastrians like Demehri, “the laws protect us”, he said.
“Zoroastrians are active members of Iranian society,” and include “university professors and government employees”, Demehri added.
Zoroastrian priests have sought to open centers abroad, including in California in the United States, where a sizeable diaspora community lives.
Demehri noted efforts to “modernize the rites” and simplify them for younger generations.
“It is difficult to ask young people who love pizza to eat our traditional tasteless bread during celebrations,” he said.