Zoroastrian Towers of Silence

Yazd’s Towers of Silence are two towers placed on the top of a hill in the southern parts of the Yazd. As a city with the highest population of Zoroastrians, it is considered as a place of tradition among all Iranian. although this form of tradition was bound with the growth of Yazd, the area surrounding it is still used to bury deceased over cemented cells. The towers themselves are not used anymore and has turned to a tourist attraction.

Dakhmeh or Tower of Silence is a place used by Zoroastrians to place the corpse of the deceased.

Dakhme or Dakhneh means the house of evil and although today used to refer to scary places it was originally meant a place of burning, a place that was used by Arians for burning the dead bodies. They were made outside cities and villages over hills so that the smell and possible pollution wouldn’t reach the city. The tower is a circular construct where the floor is covered with stones and there is a pit in the middle.