One of the two Towers of Silence no longer in use on the outskirts of the city of Yazd, Iran.

The Towers of Silence (also dakhma or dokhma) are Zoroastrian funerary towers, the majority of which are located in Mumbai, India, belonging to Parsi Zoroastrians, and in Yazd and Kerman, Iran, belonging to the Iranian Zoroastrians. Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 1215 KB)Image of Tower of Silence outside of Yazd, Iran. ... Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 1215 KB)Image of Tower of Silence outside of Yazd, Iran. ... Zoroastrianism was adapted from an earlier, polytheistic faith by Zarathushtra (Zoroaster) in Persia very roughly around 1000 BC (although, in the absence of written records, some scholars estimates are as late as 600 BC). ... The Gateway of India is the citys most recognisable landmark, visited by thousands annually. ... a person from Pars (the middle-Persian word for Fars), a region now within the geographical boundaries of Iran, and is roughly the original homeland of the Persian people. ... Yazd or Yezd (In Persian: یزد), is one of the most ancient and historical cities of Iran. ... External links Iran Chamber Societys page on Kerman Tourist information on Kerman Photos of historic sites in Kerman Categories: Iran geography stubs | Cities in Iran ...

Zoroastrians consider the dead body to be unclean, and their religion proscribes allowing corpses to pollute the pure elements of earth and fire. Corpses are therefore placed atop the Towers of Silence for their flesh to be consumed by vultures. Once the bones have been bleached by the sun and wind, they are thrown into the ossuary pit at the center of the tower. With regard to living things, a body is the integral physical material of an individual, and contrasts with soul, personality and behavior. ... Several ancient Classical Element ideas exist. ... A Nubian Vulture Vultures are scavenging birds, feeding mostly from carcasses of dead animals. ... An ossuary is a chest, building, well or site made to serve as the final resting place of human skeletal remains. ...

In the Iranian Zoroastrian tradition, the Towers of Silence were built atop hills or low mountains in desert locations distant from population centers. In the early twentieth century, the Iranian Zoroastrians discontinued usage of the Towers and now bury their dead in more traditional cemeteries. Some have even taken the practice of cremating their dead, though this is forbidden by the Gathas. The crematorium at Haycombe Cemetery, Bath, England. ... The Gathas form the oldest part of Avesta, the holy scripture of the Zoroastrian faith, possibly composed by Zarathushtra himself, making them the oldest attestation of an Iranian language. ...

In the Parsi Zoroastrian tradition, the Towers are squat buildings surrounded by forest gardens, and may only be entered by a special class of pall-bearers. Bodies are arranged inside the towers in three rings: men around the outside, women in the second circle, and children in the innermost ring. In the past several years, the vulture population has greatly declined, and the remaining vultures are often unable to fully consume the bodies. If their numbers continue to fall, this tradition may end. The American bison numbered as few as 750 in 1890 due to extreme overhunting. ...

See also

• Sky burial

External link

• [1] (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/nature_20040301.shtml) RealAudio recording of a BBC Radio program about the decline of the vultures and their effect on the funeral rites of the Parsees.