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Tower of Silence - Yazd

Just outside the city of Yazd, there are two Towers of Silence. According to Zoroastrian beliefs dead bodies were not buried but left in these towers to be eaten by the vultures. This practise by the Zoroastrian to use these towers was to keep the earth clean from the dead bodies.

This is the southeastern tower of silence
Two small badgirs (wind towers) are constructed beside a water cistern
These are the stairs of the cistern but no longer in use
A building with arch
Northeastern Tower
Southeastern Tower

However, these towers have not been used since 1960s. These towers were built away from population centers to avoid contamination. In 1970s, the practise of leaving dead bodies in open was made illegal.

Some of the buildings on site of the Tower of Silence complex
A path leading to northern tower
Southeastern tower sits on a hill
Looking back at Yazd while climbing towards the northern tower of silence
On that day, there were few locals who came to area to demonstrate their motor biking skills
This is a small door which open into the tower pit

 

There were several buildings close to the Tower of Silence but they were no longer in use. A path leads to top where southeastern tower sits on top of a barren hill. A small door opens into a circular tower with an open pit in the middle. This is where bodies were left so birds could eat them. 

Here bodies were left in the middle of pit so birds could eat them
A pit in the middle of the circular tower
Tower gate can be seen here to right
Walls of the northern tower
Southern tower
My shadow at the top of the Tower of Silence
This guy was trying to do one wheeling while coming to the top of the tower
On my way down, passsing beside the crumbling buildings