!!!Impressions of Iran, Part 2 (Yazd and Nain)
by H. Maurer 
!!Introduction
This can be see as continuation of the trip described in [Impressions of Iran, Part 1|Geography/Asia/Iran/Special_Information/Impressions_of_Iran_(Schiras_and_Persepolis)]  or as independent report on the unusual desert cities Yazd and Nain.

Yazd [{GoogleMap location='Yazd'}] is located at an altitude of 1200 m in a shallow valley. It is provincial capital of the region Yazd, with 1,1 million inhabitants and an area more than three times of Austria with a population density of 8 indeed sparsely populated: Yazd alone has about half of the population of the area. 

It is located in a desert, surrounded by sand, salt lakes and the high Shrikuh- and the Kharanaqu mountains. Some of the traditional production facilities for silk and other textiles are underground, since summer temperatures around 50 centigrade are common. Despite the dry climate agriculture plays a major role due to the fact that elaborate system of canals ("Quanats") bring water from the Shirkuh mountains.

!!Yazd - some data
It is not clear when Yazd was founded, nor by whom. According to some records it may well have been Alexander the Great around 330 B.C. who reportedly used it as prison city! Others claim as founder the last imperial dynasty in Persia (Iran) before the rise of Islam, ruled by and named after the Sasanian dynasty from 224 to 651 AD. Still other sources claim that the history of Yazd goes [back 5.000 years to the Median empire|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yazd]: Whatever the case, it is well documented that the city was conquered by the Arabs in 642 and was a rich trading center already in the 10 th century.


!Two traditions in Yazd
It is a long drive to Yazd, where we stay in a refurbished beautiful carwansery. We get up early to have a look at the Amir Chaqmaq complex, prepared for its annual ritual.

%%center
[{Image src='an02.jpg' caption='Long trip to Yazd, with views of deserts and mountains, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='350' class='image_block' width='501'}]
[{Image src='an03.jpg' caption='The Amir Chaqmaq complex, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='350' class='image_block' width='554'}]
[{Image src='an04.jpg' caption='Early morning view of the Friday mosque, Foto: U. and H. Maurer' alt='Yazd' height='350' class='image_block' width='259'}]
[{Image src='an05.jpg' caption='An other view of the Friday mosque, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='350' class='image_block' width='299'}]
[{Image src='an05a.jpg' caption='An other view of the Friday mosque, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='350' class='image_block' width='200'}]
[{Image src='an06.jpg' caption='Detail, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='350' class='image_block' width='375'}]
[{Image src='an06a.jpg' caption='Detail, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='350' class='image_block' width='375'}]
[{Image src='an06b.jpg' caption='Detail, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='350' class='image_block' width='375'}]
[{Image src='an06c.jpg' caption='Inside mosque, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='350' class='image_block' width='375'}]
[{Image src='an07.jpg' caption='The Amir Chaqmaq arcade, used for spectatures of a special yearly religious celebration, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='350' class='image_block' width='467'}]
[{Image src='an08.jpg' caption='The celebration includes the "Palm leaf" that is carried in a procession by many people, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='350' class='image_block' width='424'}]
[{Image src='an09.jpg' caption='Two wind towers; they are used with good success without air conditioning in hot, arid climates, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='350' class='image_block' width='482'}]
[{Image src='an10.jpg' caption='Wind towers work on one of three priciples. The one most easy to understand is shown next, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='350' class='image_block' width='621'}]
[{Image src='an11.jpg' caption='How windtowers work, if there is cold water running underneath; Foto: Samuel Bailey (confuciou@gmail.com), 2009, [Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windcatcher#/media/File:Qanat_wind_tower.svg]' alt='Yazd' height='350' class='image_block' width='325'}]
%%


We then visit a Zoroastrian temple and afterwards the towers of silence. It seems necessary to say a few words about Zoroastrism before going further: Zoroastrianism is one of the world's oldest religions, originating in the teachings of the Iranian prophet Zoroaster (or Zarathustra). 

Major features of Zoroastrianism, such as heaven and hell, and free will,  have probably  influenced other religious systems. 

With possible roots dating back 4.000 years it served as the state religion of the pre-Islamic Iranian empires from around 600 B.C. Zoroastrianism was suppressed from the 7th century onwards following the Muslim conquest of Persia of 633-654.  Most Zoroastrians today live in India or Iran.

  
Its basic maxims include:
*	Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds.
*	There is only one path and that is the path of Truth.
*	Do the right thing because then all beneficial rewards will come to you, also


Zaroastrian religion requies active participation in life through good deeds as necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay. In Zoroastrian tradition, life is a temporary state in which a mortal is expected to actively participate in the continuing battle between truth and falsehood. Water and fire are agents of ritual purity, and the associated purification ceremonies are considered the basis of ritual life. Both water and fire are considered life-sustaining, and both water and fire are represented within a fire temple that we are about to visit. 


%%center
[{Image src='zo01.jpg' caption='Zoroastrian temple, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Zoroastrian temple area' height='350' class='image_block' width='548'}]
[{Image src='zo02.jpg' caption='Zoroastrian temple area, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Zoroastrian temple area' height='350' class='image_block' width='458'}]
[{Image src='zo05.jpg' caption='Zoroastrian temple roof top, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Zoroastrian temple area' height='350' class='image_block' width='580'}]
[{Image src='zo06.jpg' caption='Gifts, as usual in all Zoroastrian ceremonies, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Zoroastrian temple area' height='350' class='image_block' width='527'}]
[{Image src='zo07.jpg' caption='Gifts, as usual in all Zoroastrian ceremonies, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Zoroastrian temple area' height='350' class='image_block' width='402'}]
[{Image src='zo10.jpg' caption='Fire in temple, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Zaroastrian temple area' height='350' class='image_block' width='502'}]
%%
!Towers of silence

To avoid the pollution of earth or fire according to old Zoroastrian tradition the bodies of the dead were placed atop a tower (tower of silence), exposed to the sun and to scavenging birds. In Iran this tradition was more or less abandoned at the beginning of the 20 th century and forbidden in 1970. Since then cremation or burial in special graves that prevent contact of the decaying body with the earth surrounding it are used.

A bit outside Yazd there is one such Tower of Silence that is now open for visits by tourists. As usual, it is located on a hill. Below, in the flat desert there are ceremonial buildings, typically one for each tribe/village of Zoroastrians where the ceremony to depart from the deceased took place. After the ceremony, a very small group of selected friends or relatives of the deceased would carry the body uphill and place it within the tower in a large hole in the center of a flat, open  surface that is the major part of the tower of silence.
%%center
[{Image src='tu01.jpg' caption='Hill with the tower of silence with ceremonial buildings in the flat area below, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='493'}]
[{Image src='tu02.jpg' caption='Hill with the tower of silence, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='555'}]
[{Image src='tu03.jpg' caption='Hill with the tower of silence with ceremonial buildings in the flat area below, Foto: H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='423'}]
[{Image src='tu04.jpg' caption='Ceremonial building, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='497'}]
[{Image src='tu05.jpg' caption='Walking towards the tower of silence, Foto: U. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='446'}]
[{Image src='tu06.jpg' caption='The tower of silence, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='618'}]
[{Image src='tu07.jpg' caption='Flat area with hole inside the tower of silence, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='514'}]
[{Image src='tu08.jpg' caption='Looking down at ceremonial buildings, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='467'}]
[{Image src='tu09.jpg' caption='Looking down at ceremonial buildings, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='589'}]
[{Image src='tu11.jpg' caption='Looking down at ceremonial buildings, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='545'}]
[{Image src='tu12.jpg' caption='In a ceremonial building, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='526'}]
[{Image src='tu10.jpg' caption='Looking back. In the front a wind tower, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='541'}]
%%

!Walking through the old town
The old town is built with bricks of just dried clay: In the absence of substantial rain, burning the bricks is not necessary. Lanes are narrow and houses close together, to get lots of shade. Many houses have rooms below street level to provide cooler living and working spaces. 
%%center
[{Image src='ot01.jpg' caption='Lane in the old town, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='250'}]
[{Image src='ot02.jpg' caption='Window slits in old town, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='253'}]
[{Image src='ot03.jpg' caption='Window slit in old town, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='453'}]
[{Image src='ot04.jpg' caption='Lane in the old town, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='487'}]
[{Image src='ot5.jpg' caption='Lane in the old town, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='260'}]
[{Image src='ot06.jpg' caption='Lane in the oldl town, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='244'}]
[{Image src='ot07.jpg' caption='Lane in the old town, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='422'}]
[{Image src='ot08.jpg' caption='Men use the big handle, women the small handle to knock. Thus, a women knows when a man is ouside and will not open the door! Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='491'}]
[{Image src='ot09.jpg' caption='Childrenplayground in old town, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='438'}]
[{Image src='ot10.jpg' caption='Wind tower, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='437'}]
[{Image src='ot11.jpg' caption='Widn tower. The wooden poles add structural strength and help to avoid some damage in case of earthquakes. Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='220'}]
%%

!People in the old town
%%center
[{Image src='ot14.jpg' caption='People in the old town, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='264'}]
[{Image src='ot15.jpg' caption='People in the old town, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='249'}]
[{Image src='ot16.jpg' caption='People in the old town, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='242'}]
[{Image src='ot17.jpg' caption='People in the old town, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='438'}]
[{Image src='ot18.jpg' caption='People in the old town, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='343'}]
%%

!Inside a villa in the old town
To keep rooms cool, all are below road level. One level deeper there is also a canal with running water. For the wind tower of the house and to provide water for cleaning and cooking without having to leave the house. Typical for top class villas in the old city. This particualr villa has been converted into a boutique hotel. 
%%center
[{Image src='ot19.jpg' caption='Main room of villa, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='425'}]
[{Image src='ot20.jpg' caption='Room of villa, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='245'}]
[{Image src='ot21.jpg' caption='Room of villa, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='487'}]
[{Image src='ot22.jpg' caption='Bedroom, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='439'}]
[{Image src='ot23.jpg' caption='Room with some old items on display, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='438'}]
[{Image src='ot24.jpg' caption='Great luxury! Runnign water under the main room. Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='453'}]
[{Image src='ot25.jpg' caption='Water! Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='313'}]
[{Image src='ot26.jpg' caption='Bucket to get water wihtout having to walk down one floor. Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='368'}]
%%

!Roof-top stop for views and a cup of tea
%%center
[{Image src='ot29.jpg' caption='Nice stop on top of roofs, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='365'}]
[{Image src='ot30.jpg' caption='Nice stop on top of roofs, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='442'}]
[{Image src='ot31.jpg' caption='Vewi of mosques from a roof top, Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Yazd' height='330' class='image_block' width='482'}]
%%
!!Nain
Nain is about half-way between Yazd and Isfahan, about 150 km in both directions. Like Yazd, it is a true desert city that could not exist without the underwater aqueducts that bring water over more than 50 km from the mountains. There is even enough water to grow vegetables and even some sugar cane that is ground in a local mill powered by water! Nain is particularly famous for  the Jame Mosque, one of the first four mosques built in Iran after the Arab invasion.
%%center

[{Image src='na01.jpg' caption='Nain. Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Nain' height='350' class='image_block' width='581'}]
[{Image src='na02.jpg' caption='Nain. Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Nain' height='350' class='image_block' width='371'}]
[{Image src='na03.jpg' caption='The mosque is not in use any more. Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Nain' height='350' class='image_block' width='416'}]
[{Image src='na04.jpg' caption='In lower part of mosque. Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Nain' height='350' class='image_block' width='570'}]
[{Image src='na05.jpg' caption='In lower part of mosque. Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Nain' height='350' class='image_block' width='488'}]
[{Image src='na06.jpg' caption='In lower part of mosque. Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Nain' height='350' class='image_block' width='551'}]
[{Image src='na07.jpg' caption='In lower part of mosque. Light comes through an alabaster "window" from the top. Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Nain' height='350' class='image_block' width='538'}]
[{Image src='na08.jpg' caption='In lower part of mosque. Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Nain' height='350' class='image_block' width='404'}]
[{Image src='na09.jpg' caption='The main mosque of Nain that is in use in the evening sun. Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Nain' height='350' class='image_block' width='347'}]
[{Image src='na10.jpg' caption='En route to Isfahan as night is falling. Foto: U. and H. Maurer ' alt='Nain' height='350' class='image_block' width='637'}]
%%
> Continue to Impressions of Iran, Part 3 [(Isfahan)|Geography/Asia/Iran/Special_Information/Impressions_of_Iran_(Isfahan)]
> Continue to Impressions of Iran, Part 4 [(From Isfahan to Tehran)|Geography/Asia/Iran/Special_Information/Impressions_of_Iran_(Red_village_and_Qom)]
> Continue to Impressions of Iran, Part 5 [(Tehran)|Geography/Asia/Iran/Special_Information/Impressions_of_Iran_(Tehran)]
> Back to Impressions of Iran, Part 1[(Schiras and vicinity)|Geography/Asia/Iran/Special_Information/Impressions_of_Iran_(Schiras_and_Persepolis)]
 



    











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