Report from Piir Sabz, Yazd

As the mini-van carrying over 30 Zoroastrians was going through the windy road towards the mountains East of Yazd for Piir Sabz pilgrimmage, the excitement was boiling, in a two hour trip from Yazd through Ardekan to join hundreds of others for this yearly occassion. Zoroastrians from 3 countries (Iran, US, and France) and 8 Iranian cities in that small mini-van, with different languages and dialouges, were signing loud the same tune - Piir Sabz

Chak Chako ...

Thanks to the efforts of Dr. Khosro Debestani, our former MP, the road to Piir Sabz has been constructed with asphalt, and as of last Saturday Piir Sabz has been provided with electricity from the city. As the Sun was going down, it was so beautiful to see our Piir Sabz up the mountain all lighted up with lamps. For the first time in years, a security van down the road was checking to allow only Zoroastrians in.

The official calendar pilgrimmage is 5 days which began last Sunday. However, since weekend in Iran is Thursday and Friday and the school was still in session, most people came to Piir Sabz on Thursday. Wednesday, when we arrived, was not crowded and only a few faithful were praying at the temple.

The place looked very organized this year. A special room was set up with a person in charge to check out carpets, gas stoves, plates, and other living needs.

It is a steep climb up the mountain with hundreds of stairs.

Older people were going up slowly, while a few youth to hire were helping with the luggage up the mountain. The Summer is very hot in the desert of Yazd. But it was amazing how cool it was in the shade of the trees all the way up there.

The temple is at the highest point in the mountain, where a small fountain with constant drops of water gives a holly feeling.

It is said that this place started when Shahrbanoo, the youngest daughetr of Yazdgerd Shah of Sassanian dynasty, was running away from Arab soldiers. She disappeared in this same mountain.

Some years later, a shepperd found trace of clothes and found the amazing greeneries in this secluded place in the middle of nowhere. Zoroastrians of Iran believe that this place is holly, and every year they visit Piir Sabz in the last week of Khordad.

This is a place to relax and find peace, pray and meditate, meet other Zoroastrians from all over the world, and particularly find your old friends from years ago. I met Behrooz Khosraviani and his family from Northern California, after three years, and some old high school friends from Kerman, after twety years, and it was just like yesterday.

The best time at Piir Sabz is at night. I never knew we had so many talented signers in our Zoroastrian community. It was past 2 in the morning, but the singing group were not going to let any one sleep. Someone actually had brought an organ to play, and microphones and other music instruments. The entertainment was at its best on Thursday night - disco with moonlight at 1000 feet up

The place has many rooms along the stairway - called Kheileh.

Each group, or people from a particular city, take over one kheileh.

We went visiting from a kheileh to kehileh, always greeted with food and kind words. Kerman Kheileh has Abgoosht feast, like every year, on Thursday lunch. People lined up early to get a bowl of this delicious mean, while another kheileh was cooking

Siroog. It was time for sharing and caring.

For the past few years, people have found it convinient to use organized tours. The tour from Kerman was four buses (120+ people) which went to Yazd, and Piir Harisht. Its last bus arrived after 12 hours after it was rescued from landing in sand.

But people told me it was the best 12 hours of their lives waiting in the middle of desert sainging and dancing.

The governor of Yazd state visited, so did the mayors of Yazd and Ardekan. A few officials showed up to be sure of security.

I was amazed to see a Muslim cleric with black turban showed up and quietly slipped in and out of the temple. It was said that he was the main Yazd Amam Jomeh, who came of a personal pilgrimmage (Nazr) to pay his debt to God.

The afternoon were quiet as many people slept to make up for the night. Early evening was time for hiking up the mountains.

Mobed Khorshidian and two ther mobes were at hand to talk the questions. Last year, it was said that 3 marriages resulted from this social gathering. As we were the last group to leave on Friday, the place was empty waiting for another year to come.

Mehran Sepehri
Yazd, Iran