A climb to the Green Pir

Aug 12, 2012 |

Age Correspondent

The village of Chak Chak, also known as Pir-e-Sabz or The Green Pir, is the most sacred of the mountain shrines for Zoroastrians.

Located near the city of Ardakan in the Yazd Province, the site has a pir perched beneath a towering cliff face in the desert of central Iran. Every year, from June 14-18, many Zoroastrians from Iran, India and other countries flock to the fire temple at Pir-e-Sabz. Tradition has it that pilgrims are to stop the moment they see the sight of the temple and continue their journey on foot the rest of the way.
The grotto-shrine is dedicated to the royal princess Nikbanu, also spelt Nikbanoo, the daughter of the last Sassanian King Yazdegird III and queen Hastbadan. According to legend, after the fleeing royal party had split up in an effort to avoid capture by the invading Arab horde, princess Nikbanu fled to Pir-e-Sabz. The Arabs caught up with her and now trapped, she prayed devoutly. A cleft parted in the mountain taking the princess into its womb. The rock face closed before the eyes of the bewildered Arabs, but not before a piece of her garment was trapped in the cleft of the rock face. The piece of cloth petrified as a piece of coloured rock and was visible until recently.
Notable features of Chak Chak include the spring located in the mountain. The actual temple is a man-made grotto sheltered by two large bronze doors. The shrine enclosure is floored with marble and its walls are darkened by fires kept eternally burning in the sanctuary. In the cliffs below the shrine are several roofed pavilions constructed to accommodate pilgrims.

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