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The remote desert town of Yazd, in central Iran, escaped the Mongol
invasions of ancient Persia and remains one of the best preserved
adobe-built settlements in the world. Many houses feature a traditional
badgir or tower which catches any cooling breeze and funnels it down to
rooms below. A jewel among dozens of religious buildings in Yazd, is the
Friday Mosque, built in 1375, with the tallest minarets in Iran. Yazd`s rich
architectural heritage draws many cultural tourists, but more significantly,
it remains the heart of Zoroastrianism, oldest of the creedal faiths dating
back some three millenia. When Persia embraced Islam in the seventh century,
thousands of Zoroastrians fled to South Asia and the Persian Gulf. Today an
estimated 20,000 live in Yazd still scrupulously following the injunction
regarding the protection of the earth and a reverence of nature. During
prayers they face towards a sacred fire: the flame in the central Atashkadeh
in Yazd is said to have been burning since the early fourth century. An
ancient `Tower of Silence` where Zoroastrians place their dead is to be seen
on outskirts of town. Some tour groups make the journey from Isfahan (280
km) but most visitors are Zoroastrian pilgrims although the government of
Iran continues to look unfavourably on the faith. Aside from its rich
spiritual heritage, Yazd is famous for magnificent hand-woven silk carpets.
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