I am standing in the empty atrium of one of Central Asia's largest mosques built as late as 1994 by the French company Bouygues. It is another profligate project of the president of Turkmenistan, Turkmenbashi, done in order to prove his country's commitment to Islamic donors. In many ways it does a convincing job until my guide, Oleg, points down to a prayer carpet. At a first glance is seems pretty ordinary, but on closer inspection something startling appears. Oleg points out two small circles of camel hair placed at the most important points. It s a Zoroastrian relic. Zarathustra translates to yellow camel shepherd, and the camel has become a sacred animal for Zoroastrians, yet here it is on an Islamic prayer rug. As I look around, the other carpets sport similar Zoroastrian symbols including goats
horns and snakes.
I have been travelling the Silk Road
for several months now. This was one of the greatest trade routes that ever existed and gave rise to unprecedented trade opportunities since the 2nd century ВС. As I travel through twelve different countries that once lined the Silk Road, I am stunned to discover just how influential Zoroastrianism has been. The effects of travel and trade along the Silk Road have undoubtedly helped spread the religions concepts and symbolism. Remnants of these can be found all the way from China to Italy in the architecture, art and beliefs. Enormous evidence attests to the vast dissemination of Zoroastrianism along the Silk Road. In many ways this is unsurprising since traders would have been reluctant to travel to places where they could not practice their religion. Therefore they built shrines and temples of their own wherever they went to allow for worship when far from home.
One place holds special importance for Zoroastrians, and I am very lucky to visit Yazd, in Iran. The earliest written, Greek records suggest this as the birthplace and home of the religion, founded around the 6th century ВС (though this is still under debate). Its isolation in the middle of the Dasht-e-Kavir Desert in central Iran has allowed the Zoroastrian community to survive years of persecution, and members currently number around 5,000. The Zoroastrians I meet at the local temple explain the essence of the religion to me in broken English and show me the flame that provides their worship focus. The one in Yazd has apparently been alight since 470 AD. All around Yazd ceremonial towers of silence where the dead were laid for the vultures to pick clean. They are no longer in use but such towers and temples are easily seen in places as far removed as Termiz in Uzbekistan and Zhenjiang in China. In Tashkent, I meet Central Asian archaeologist, Dr Vladimir Karasev, who has a particular interest in Zoroastrianism. He shows me finds from archaeological digs in the Ferghana Valley region, a prominent branch of the Silk Road. The sheer number of artifacts reflects an amazing spread of Zoroastrianism via the trade route during the Sassanid period in the 2nd century AD. But he presents a far deeper heritage of Zoroastrianism. Not only have the Islamic, Christian and Jewish faiths incorporated Zoroastrian symbols into their practices (for example the lighting of candles in Christianity) and architecture, but the current national Uzbek dress is riddled with Zoroastrian symbolism. I even notice the symbol of Faravdar, the bird representing the Zoroastrian guardian spirit, stitched onto a colourful kuloh hat similar in design to those worn by modern Zoroastrians.
The true birthplace and origins of Zoroastrianism are still largely debated and many countries including Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Iran stake their claim. Each provides compelling evidence for these. Whatever the answer is, it is clear that the religion took advantage of the mobility offered by the Silk Roads and has had a profound and remarkable influence on the development of future civilizations and religions that remains evident to this day.