The sacred fire
Behind glass.
R.shahi24 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Arosha-photo — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alireza Gholami — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Narges Bgsei — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ondřej Žváček — CC BY 2.5
The Atash Behram in Yazd is a Zoroastrian fire temple, a pale stone building with columns and steps across its front and the winged Faravahar symbol above its entrance. A round pool before it reflects the facade, and a garden of tall trees surrounds it. The temple keeps the Atash Behram, the «Victorious Fire», which tradition dates to 470 AD. It is one of the nine highest-grade fires of Zoroastrianism and the only one in Iran; the other eight are in India. Zoroastrians have practised their religion in Yazd since about 400 BC. The temple was opened to non-Zoroastrian visitors in the 1960s. You see the fire behind glass in an inner hall and read panels explaining the Zoroastrian faith and its symbols. The place is small and quiet. It is about 2.4 km in a straight line southeast of central Yazd. Keep quiet inside the hall. The UK Foreign Office currently advises against all travel to Iran and warns that British nationals risk detention, so check official guidance before making any plans. We could not confirm the current state of this site.
Behind glass.
Before the facade.
Above the door.
Ayatollah Kashani Avenue, Yazd
Yes, since the 1960s.
About half an hour.
