To me and to many others, nothing
is comparable with spending a night under the shallow ceiling of desert's sky
whose all shining stars seem reachable. Imagine you witness this beautiful
scene in a quiet night of a very old city made out of clay, which can not
easily get rid of the warmth the sun has granted during the day
With one third of Iran covered
with deserts, having such a delightful night is not a hard work. One of the
oldest, largest and most charming desert cities, lies somewhere in the middle
of Iran, in the middle of ancient silk road. It is so beautiful that people
call it "the pearl of desert".
The whole city is made out of
clay and adobe; it seems that it has risen out of sand. Yazd's architecture is
unique. During its long history, Yazd and Yazdies have adapted themselves to
the desert surrounding. It is also called, the city of "Badgirs".
Badgirs are that chimney like structures raised on the roofs of Yazdies’
houses. Of course they are not chimneys; they are kind of ancient and still working
ventilation systems. They gather the even faintest breezes of the desert and
channel them into the building below.
In the interior of the building
there is usually a small pool and a central courtyard with old trees which
through a narrow corridor finds its way out to a narrow alley. Still you may
find some heavy wooden doors with male and female knockers. Walking through
these winding narrow alleys in the evening would leave you an unforgettable
memory. It seems that time has stopped.
People are still living in their
Old Persian traditions. Some times when passing the houses, you may smell a
delicious Yazdi food which would make you feel hungry. Yazdies are also great
experts of making confectionary and sweet which have a long background and are famous
in the country. Yazd's handicrafts such as rug, small carpets, Kilim, Termeh (a
gorgeous hand-made silk tapestry), pottery, earthenware and ceramic are also
famous. In order to find them all you need to call on bazaar.
Domed twisting lane of small
shops makes up one of the main symbols of Persian tradition. Bazaar twists and
turns and eventually leads to Friday Mosque, one of the finest in Iran. The
portal’s facade is decorated from top to bottom in dazzling blue tiles.
Like her sisters, Yazd is granted
with great Islamic architecture and culture, but unlike them Yazd is unique in
its Zoroastrian culture. Yazd is the holiest city for Zoroastrians. They hold
their rituals on different occasions and every year, Zoroastrians from all over
the world come here to see the sacred fire that has been burning without
interruption for 1500 years. In the outlying southern suburbs of town are
Zoroastrian Towers of Silence, where the bodies of believers were once left to
the vultures after death.
Despite the unmerciful
adversities, desert's mysterious silence and unforgettable nights has endless
fascination for nature lovers. Moreover, for the ones who adore people,
culture, tradition, history and architecture, we cannot think of any other city
that preserves so much of the traditional atmosphere better than "Bride of
Desert".
Sights:
Alexander's Prison
The Mausoleum of Seyed Roknaddin
The Fire- temple of Chak Chak
The Towers of Silence (Dakhmeh or
Qal'eh-ye Khamushan)
Friday Mosque
Atashkadeh (Fire Temple)
Alexander's Prison
This 15th century prison is
generally believed to have been built by Alexander the Great to detain the
Iranian elite. Even the city was known with this same name during the first
century after the advent of Islam. The once-dungeon edifice lies in the heart
of the old city of Yazd. It has a domed roof which is very interesting. There
is also a well and some nooks in the courtyard.
The Mausoleum of Seyed
Roknaddin
The 33-meter high wind-tower of
this mausoleum is indeed the most prominent part. The beautiful portal of the
monument is another noteworthy characteristic of the monument. Yet, what is
even more substantial is the dome of the edifice. This fine cupola is covered
with enameled blue tiles, while brick-work decorates the inside of the cupola.
Lattice doors and windows with stained glass patterns impart a pleasing sight
to the complex. In the interior you can find epigraphs in Kuffic calligraphy on
the plasterworks. There is also a water stream inside the edifice. Formerly the
draft of air coming through the wind-tower cooled the interior through the
action of the flowing water. This great monument lies in garden and dates back
to the 14th century.
The Fire- temple of Chak
Chak
The name of this fire-temple
originates in the water dripping from the stone-cut mountains. This important
Zoroastrian fire-temple is located on a hill 52 km to the north-northeast of
Yazd. Every year thousands of pilgrims gather in this place for an annual
festival, which lasts for ten days from the beginning of the third Iranian
month. There is sufficient accommodation for the pilgrims. If willing to visit
it, first you ought to get permission from the religious authorities at
Atashkade in Yazd.
The Towers of Silence (Dakhmeh or
Qal'eh-ye Khamushan)
You can reach the place only on a
taxi or in your private car. These three impressive buildings lie on hilltops
outside in the immediate vicinity of the city. They do overlook an
impressive desert scenery and mountain landscape. There are several types of
brickwork and it is impossible to determine when they have been
constructed.
You should not be surprised if
come across remains and broken parts of human bone. Formerly the Zoroastrians
used these towers in order to expose the corpse of the believers to birds,
vultures and crows in particular. For this purpose they laid the dead on the
flat stones in the tower. As a matter of fact you should know that fire is a
divine element in Zoroastrianism and shouldn't be contaminated by the corpse or
any other things. The ritual has been mentioned by Herodotus of
Halicarnassus.
Friday Mosque
The Friday, or Grand, Mosque of
Yazd city is an awesome blend of grandeur and finesse. The monument dates back
to the 14th century and is one of the most beautiful tourist attractions in the
central Iran.
This place, called also Friday
Mosque, lies in the heart of Yazd. It was once the focus of a complex of
buildings and a Sassanid fire temple originally existed in its site.The lofty
entrance portal of the mosque is completely unique with its two towering
minarets which are the tallest in Iran.
The portal's facade is decorated
from top to bottom in dazzling tile-work, predominantly blue in color. You can
also see decorating inscriptions from the holy Quran. In the spacious,
airy, and arcaded courtyard you can find a stairway through which you may climb
up and have a beautiful view of the old city and especially of the scenery of
the desert. In part of the courtyard lies the sanctuary chamber (shabestan),
where decorative brickwork laid in epigrams cover most wall surfaces.
The sanctuary has a dome and a
magnificent prayer-niche (mihrab) which counts among the finest ones existing.
It is sheathed with naturalistic floral designs rendered in remarkable faience
mosaic. The squat tiled dome is decorated with turquoise and white geometric
tiles on an unglazed buff background which feels quite serene and
soothing.
The rectangular winter prayer
halls are painted white to contrast with the vibrant multi-colored sanctuary.
The early and substantial use of transverse vaulting in these chambers is
another considerable attribute of the mosque. The technique used
for lightening this mosque is indeed very noteworthy in its own right,
too.
They have planned it so that the
light which is reflected from the plastered walls illuminates the whole place.
Close by the mosque, there is a modern library which is a treasury in itself,
housing priceless manuscripts of the Holy Qurans.
Atashkadeh (Fire Temple)
The sacred flame of the temple,
which is considered to be the symbol of the God of Light, has been burning for
the past 3000 years, which makes the place one of the most important fire
temples for the Zoroastrians, so that the believers from the whole world come
to venerate the sacred and eternal fire.
This fire temple is located on a
hill in a small garden and is surrounded by evergreen trees. There is also a
large round pool in the courtyard, which offers a vivid reflection of the
temple for artistic photography. A couple of paintings, including the
Zoroaster's, can be pointed out as another attraction of the place.
The initiated meet at the fire,
but nobody apart form the Grand Priest, who is a descendant of the Magi, has
access to the Saint of Saints. There exists a winged figure atop the facade as
well. This figure is the visual representation of the supreme god in
Zoroastrianism.
