Yazd Tourism [Yazd City]; Life In The Desert!
Yazd tourism [Yazd City]; We write here about yazd city; also any thing about yazd iran points of interest or going to watch With its reachable sky, forest of badgirs (wind catchers), mud-brick houses and alleys, and pleasurable places to stay, Yazd city is a “don’t miss” destination. You can find the following information in this post: Yazd tourism general information, Yazd history, Yazd UNESCO world heritage, Zoroastrianism and Yazd Tourist Information.(Yazd tourism)
Before going to read the post, Let’s watch this video about amazing life in the desert!
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1. Yazd City Of Iran General Information
Yazd toutism: also spelled Yezd, city, capital of Yazd province, central Iran. The city dates back to the 5th century CE and Marco Polo had used the phrase “noble city of Yazd” to describe Yazd.
Yazd City Iran; Location
On a flat mostly barren sand-ridden plain ringed by mountains, the Yazd city of Iran is located between the southern Dasht-e Lut and the northern Dasht-e Kavir and is in every inch a city of the desert.
Click to read: Jame Mosque of Yazd
City Of Yazd Iran; People
To describe Yazd; we can talk about the dry hot weather which was not a repelling factor for the inhabitants of Yazd city in the course of history. With the population of 530,000 people city of Yazd tourism continues its existence.
Click to read: Amir Chakhmaq Complex
The majority of the people of Yazd are Persians, and they speak Persian with Yazdi accent different from Persian accent of Tehran.
Yazd City Wind Catchers
Due to the desertic atmosphere, the hot weather and lack of water resources, the natives of the Yazd city Iran developed a unique architecture; the badgirs or wind catchers. Yazd city wind catchers have turned the city into a forest of badgirs and are one of the Yazd tourist attraction(Yazd tourism) that frees your soul.
Click to read: Dolat Abad Garden
The hot wind enters the holes in the top of the wind catcher and cools off while being naturally transferred to the bottom of it. In Yazd city wind catchers are not the only masterpiece achieve by the locals; a network of qanats (underground tunnels dug to carry water) links Yazd (Yazd tourism) with the edge of the nearby mountain Shīr Kūh. Some qanat’s length reach to tens of kilometers. The world’s longest qanat which is called Zarch is 100 kilometers long and is located in the Yazd city Iran.
Yazd Iran; Economy
The economy of the area in which city of Yazd Iran is situated is dominated by agriculture which was modernized through the establishment of farm corporations and processing centers for agricultural products. The main crops grown include wheat, barley, cotton, oilseeds, indigo plants and etc.
Amir chakhmaq Complex
2. Yazd History
The name is derived from Yazdegerd I, a Sassanid ruler of Persia. The city was definitely a Zoroastrian center during Sassanid times. The word Yazd means God.
Because of its remote desert location and the difficulty of access, city of Yazd Iran (Yazd tourism) remained largely immune to large battles and the destruction and ravages of war. And thus, a safe haven for those fleeing; even for the royal family after the Arab invasion.
Dolat Abad Garden
Historically, Yazd Iran has been the link between Fars and Khorasan and between Persian Iraq and Kerman, and it was situated at the intersection of the trade routes from central Asia and India.
The city of Yazd dates back to Sassanian dynasty (224 to 651 AD). Since Sassanians, Yazd city has been famous for its silk textile and silk weaving which still is an ongoing business in the city of Yazd. As you keep reading, more Yazd tourist places will be discussed.
Yazd UNESCO world heritage
As the modernity infiltrated almost every city in Iran, the city of Yazd has hold its ground for its traditions and ancient architecture. That is why City of Yazd Iran has been registered as a UNESCO world heritage site and is officially called “historic city of Yazd”.
Yazd old city still follows the rules of mud. An adobe city. Mud-brick walls, mud-brick pathways, mud alleys, and mud smelling air. (the mud is not like getting you dirty!) When you go for a walk in the maze of mud historic lanes, while inhaling the soft smell of nearby wet soil, you might run into random teahouses or pause to reflect on calligraphic puzzles in the city’s exquisite tilework.
You can find Yazd UNESCO heritage in every corner of the city. Yazd tourist attractions are scattered all around the city. We won’t be wrong to call Yazd city a monument itself. Yazd monuments have remained untouched due to the remote location of the city (as mentioned before), and so they are well kept. To such extent, Yazd tourist places are as they were hundreds of years ago.
3. Yazd; Zoroastrianism
The first ancient Iranian dynasty to declare one religion as the state religion for all the nation was Sassanian Empire; and the religion was Zoroastrianism. As mentioned before, the oldest records of Yazd city of Iran date back to Sassanian Empire and up until now the city of Yazd is the last center of Zoroastrianism in Iran.
Zoroastrianism; The Religion
The Iranian prophet and religious reformer Zarathustra (flourished before the 6th century BCE)—more widely known outside Iran as Zoroaster, the Greek form of his name)—is traditionally regarded as the founder of the religion.
Click to read: Chak Chak Village – Photo by Karnaval.com
Zoroastrianism contains both dualistic and monotheistic features. It likely had an influence on the other major Western religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Zarathustra (Zoroaster) was a prophet of a certain Ahura (Avestan equivalent of Sanskrit asura) with the epithet Mazda, “wise,” whom Zarathustra mentions once in his hymns with “the [other] ahuras.”
Zoroastrian Architecture, Symbols, And Rituals
Zoroastrian Architecture In The City Of Yazd:
Yazd city due to its religious background has a lot of religious buildings and architecture; whether Zoroastrian architecture or Islamic one.
Chak Chak Village – Photo by Karnaval.com
The nature friendly beliefs of the Zoroastrianism have led to the nature friendly architecture. The natural elements are respected in this belief; they must not be mixed with evil or any kind of abomination.
Thus, constructions with dome were built to keep the light of fire and the sun separate. These constructions were called Chartaqi or Chahartaq (literally meaning “four arches”, an architectural unit consisted of four-barrel vaults and a dome.)
Some examples of the Zoroastrian architecture are fire temples and silence towers.
Zoroastrian Symbols
Fire: present in all ritual and is perpetually burning in the temple as a symbolic representation of Ahura Mazda. (some people mistake the Zoroastrians as fire worshipers; which is wrong. They attend to it, not worship it). There are three types of fire which later in the text we will explain.
Faravahar: in Zoroastrian fire temples a Faravahar symbol always is in display. A bird-man who holds a ring in one hand which symbolizes loyalty, with the other hand held up as a sign of respect. The three-layered wings also represent the belief that you should think, speak, and act decently.
Zoroastrian Rituals
Coming of age ritual in which all young Parsis (Zoroastrians) must attend when they reach the age of seven (in India) or 10 (in Persia). They receive a special costume they are to wear their entire life; shirt (sadre) and the girdle (kusti).
Chak Chak Fire Temple – Photo by Karnaval.com
The chief ceremony, the Yasna, essentially has a sacrifice of haoma (the sacred liquor) and is celebrated next to the sacred fire with recitation of large parts of the Avesta. Offerings of bread and milk are also given.
The sacred holy fire must be kept burning continually and has to be fed with pure wood at least five times a day. Prayers also are recited five times a day. To regenerate a new fire a very elaborate ceremony is undertaken. For purification and for regeneration of a fire some certain rituals must be done.
Zoroastrian Fire Temple
As a Yazd tourist place, Zoroastrian fire temples or Chartaqi as explained before are the most sacred place among Zoroastrians. Not all recent fire temples are Chartaqis but the base is the same.
Zoroastrian Fire Temple – Photo By Karnaval.com
Some scholars believe that Zoroastrian fire temple itself represent the basic beliefs of the Zoroastrianism. However, on the account of the geographical position or for whom the Chartaqi was being built, the architecture would differ. For example, if it was for the royal family or for warriors some extra buildings were designed.
4.Yazd Tourism
Annually, Yazd tourist attractions fascinate over thousands of tourists visiting the city. Not only Yazd tourist places are a pull factor for the city’s tourism, but also the people of the Yazd city of Iran with their pure hospitality are a pleasurable experience for those who pay a visit.
Yazd tourism has been booming since 2017 when the city was declared a UNESCO heritage site. The historic city of Yazd is also believed to be the world’s largest adobe city.
Jame Mosque Of Yazd
Qanats, wind towers, fire temples, and adobe texture of the city are all just some parts of the Yazd tourist places. As Yazd tourist attractions, one can easily refer to the sweets such as Baqlava and Pashmak that if you don’t try any it would be like if you didn’t completely visit Yazd city Iran.
Jame Mosque Of Yazd
By the way, we have introduced some top cool sites to visit in Yazd and their links are put down in the end. You can check them out!
5. Yazd Tourist Information Useful Tips
To get to the city of Yazd:
Yazd airport
- From any city of Iran you can fly to Yazd.
- There are also International flights to Dubai, and daily flights to Tehran and Mashhad from Yazd.
- The Yazd airport location is 10 km west of the Yazd old city area. The airport’s name is Shahid Sadooghi International Airport.
Yazd bus Terminal and Train Station
you can get to Yazd city using either train or bus.
In the Yazd city of Iran
In the city of Yazd itself, you can get around by foot, bus, or taxi.
Yazd tourist office
Tourist Office Located in the Amir Chakhmaq Mosque Complex, which supplies maps and advice, makes hotel bookings, books desert tours and offers free wi-fi.
Whether you stay in a hotel or in an ecolodge, each of them will give you information on the city’s tour. Most of them will even offer tours operated by themselves and mostly by professional locals.
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