Visitors: 100 fellow Zarathushtis of Kerman

Date: 11 August 2006

On 11th August 2006 ((Din rooz of Amordad 3744) , nearly one hundred of Kerman Zoroastrians visited recently-discovered 1400 years old ancient Atashkadeh (Fire Temple) of Sassanid era outside the city of Kerman, Iran. Through a tour conducted by Kerman Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization, we prayed there for the first time after Arab's invasion, as the archeologist explained us. The officials welcomed us very warmly and entertained us with good breakfast. The recently discovered Atashkadeh(Fire Temple) is located in hilly land near mountains, 30-40 kilometers, southwest of Kerman. The nearest (nowadays)
village is Bahramg(j)erd, then Baghin, Kerman City and however a village with the name of Ghariyat-ol-Arab (=village of arabs).

The archeologist who discovered it, wrote an article and was the first one who introduced this site to public. He explained many things for
us during our tour that I am trying to summarize them here. The place was used for keeping sheep and goats by local pastures. The archeologist that was wandering in the village had heard about it. He discovered it nearly one year ago and looked for it in books, ancient reports, etc.

There are many evidences that construction of the building is not complete. The matter that it is constructed far from any people hive, inhabitant place or populous ness, its undoubted Sassanid elements,... and its incompleteness shows that in the first decades after Arab invasion the circumstances was very bad for Zoroastrians, they were not permitted to have Atashkadeh and do their rituals, etc. Therefore they went out the city and buld this place. Before completing, the Arabs of the mentioned Ghariyat-ol-Arab, understood and inhibited/prevented of its completeness. It is made by natural rubble stone and 'sarooj', upon a hill.

Mobedyar Mehran Gheibi

Kerman