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How an Indian Religious Minority Shaped Modern Iran JUNE 13, 2021 TODAY, IRAN’S ZOROASTRIAN minority comprises a tiny proportion of the country’s overall population, considerably less than half a percent. The Zoroastrian community of India — where they are known as “Parsis” — is even tinier. But around a century ago, they became an object of fascination for a series of influential Iranian intellectuals, both Zoroastrian and Muslim, who repositioned their country’s pre-Islamic religion at the center of a new national identity. Coupled with the glories of the ancient Achaemenid Em...

Ahura Mazda And Angra Mainyu: Polar Opposites There are several different accounts of how Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu are related to one another. One of these versions can be found in the Gathas, the 17 Avestan hymns believed to have been composed by Zoroaster (known also as Zarathustra), the founder of Zoroastrianism. The Gathas are thought to have been written during the 14th or 13th century BC, and were included in the Avesta (the primary collection of Zoroastrian religious texts) when it was codified in about the 7th century AD. According to the Gathas, a spirit by the name of V...

In high school, I felt alone. I was the only Zoroastrian in my high school and am one out of about 14,000 Z​oroastrians in the country.

" " A symbol of Zoroastrianism is displayed at the Fire Temple, Yazd, Iran. Thomas Schulze/picture alliance via Getty Images Zoroastrianism is the world's oldest surviving monotheistic religion and, many scholars think, the original source of religious conceptions of heaven, hell, Satan and Judgment Day in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Yet many people outside of Iran or India have never even heard of Zoroastrianism or think it's an ancient faith that died out with the arrival of these better-known religions. Today, there are fewer than 140,000 Zoroastrians worldwide, but Zoroastriani...

The Ancient Historical Origins Of The Faravahar Symbol Although we may not how the ancient  Persians referred to the symbol, we do know that it was an important one for them. This is evident in the fact that the Faravahar appears in a variety of different places. For instance, the symbol is depicted on the famous  Behistun Inscription . In this rock relief, the Faravahar is shown hovering above the prisoners of Darius the Great and giving the king its blessing. The Faravahar is also seen in Persepolis, the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenids.     The Behistun Inscription is a relief ...