The burial tradition of Zoroastrians in southern Fars: Baghān, Khonj

Abstrakt

Fars province, located in the southern part of Iran, was the center of Zoroastrianism during the Achaemenid and Sasanian periods. The traditions and rituals of this religion were institutionalized in Fars over a millennium, and with the advent of Islam, the people of this region sought to continue these Zoroastrian traditions. The Zoroastrian burial ritual was one of the religious customs of the Zoroastrian community in this region, continuing well into the Islamic medieval period, particularly in the southern part of Fars. In this religion, the body, or “nesu”, had to be kept away from sacred elements such as earth, water, fire, and plants. For this reason, many Sasanian burials were placed in rock-hewn tombs located in mountainous regions. These burial sites are now commonly known as Ostoudan and Dakhmak. In this field study, for the first time, a number of lesser-known Ostoudan examples from the Zoroastrian tradition in southern Fars, specifically in the Baghān region of Khonj, have been identified and are introduced here.