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IRAN – ZOROASTRIAN
WORSHIP Nov 1999 DUR 08’20” Shot of sun Desert shimmer Trucks through
archway of ruins Forward on road
through mountains Reveal Chak Chak as
vehicle turns corner Chak Chak on
mountainside – Wide shot to mid to
tight Golden shrine doors
opened by Mr Yazdani – camera tracks into cave, shrine. Reveal group of
chanting Zoroastrians C/U of flames over
priests words Paintings of
Zoroaster on wall Z logo overhead More of praying in
cave Close-up of priest
mid-service Women open doors of
shrine walk out onto ramparts Young women & Mr
Yazdani and wife admire view Overlay first part
of priest’s grab with women on ramparts …Then priest in
synch in back in shrine. Shot of girls
looking out Women talking Yazd skyline, blue
mosque Black shape of old
woman trudging up alleyway Various shots of the
old Yazd Show reconstructed
city walls Pull back from TV
monitor to Mr Yazdani at bench Spaniards outside
temple Close-up of
Zoroastrian crest above front of shrine. Tourists walk into
temple Checking it out Tourist takes photo Eternal flame Tower of Silence
seen through archway of ruins Steep mountain track
up the Tower of Silence at sunset Yazd nearby – mark
and talent stop to admire the view Inner ring where
bodies were placed Sun setting in
background Schoolteacher/Mark
look into fiery sun Sound FX wind Speed shot of
setting sun Close up fire Reveal girls singing
around fire on ridge line |
Out in the deserts
of Iran – where sun and sand slowly erode the last relics of the ancient silk
route – lies the legacy of another culture from another millennium. We’ve been invited
to a place that, for generations, was a sacred, secret location. Hidden away behind
the scorched mountain lies Chak Chak, holy Shrine of the Zoroastrians –
religion of the ancient Kings of Persia. (Chanting) Waiting at the
door, our host, Mr Yazdani, guides us into the spiritualism of another age. PRIEST SUBTITLED “We consider the Sun
as the biggest fire – sun is light from God. We say God is light itself. The
Sun is a creation of God. That’s why we pray towards the Sun, towards light
and fire.” This was one of the
first religions to believe in a single omnipresent God. They believe their
prophet, Zoroaster, was born of a virgin mother in what is now Afghanistan. Satan, heaven and
hell were all Zoroastrian concepts later embraced by Christianity and Islam. Scholars now claim
the three wise men who paid tribute at the birth of Christ were in fact
Zoroastrian priests. (PRIEST CHANTING) (GRAB PRIEST)
SUBTITLED “We Zoroastrians
don’t know exactly how old the religion is, we can show the history for more
than 4,000 years, but some university professors believe the religion has
been around since before Buddha, who lived 6,000 years ago. Buddha has
written in his own books that he followed Zoroastrian beliefs.” Outside on the
ramparts, it’s easy to see why they came here, a location that is both scenic
and strategic. When the Arabs
invaded Zoroastrian Persia in the 7th century AD they conquered in
the name of Islam. Those who refused to submit fled to these desert
strongholds. PRIEST GRAB
SUBTITLED “Some of the King’s
daughters escaped the capital Tisfun and one of them made it up here. In
front of her, the enemy army ready to arrest her. So she raised her hands to
the sky and said – “God help me!” – The earth opened up and she fell within
it, she came out here where this dripping water saved her. We Zoroastrians
believe that’s how it was.” Permitted by Iran’s
ruling mullahs to wear their traditionally bright colours, they stand
reassured by their three basic tenets. “We have these three
things; good thought, good deed, and good word, so there’s no need for us to
go to another religion. If they maintain these they’ll have a good and
comfortable life, so we don’t have a problem.” (Music transition) A days’ camel ride
from Chak Chak lies the ancient city of Yazd, home to the dwindling community
of six thousand Zoroastrians. Little has changed
since the armies of Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan trudged through
these alleyways. They chose to spare
the city – some say it was divine intervention. Now, tough heritage
preservation orders guard the city just as effectively as the restored
battlements of old. We find community
leader Mr Yazdani amid the circuitry of his electronic repairs shop. Even
Zoroastrian leaders need a day job. MR YAZDANI “It’s not bad,
people have to work to live, it doesn't matter where it is – in any country –
we all have to make a living.” Zoroastrians, he
says, have managed to survive in the volatile climate of Islamic
fundamentalist Iran for one simple reason. YAZDANI SUBTITLED “The reason
Zoroastrians are accepted throughout the world is that they don't get
involved in the politics of any country.” “The relationship
between the Muslims and Zoroastrians I think has gotten better since the
revolution – not worse.” SPANISH TOUR GUIDE The Zoroastrian
Fire Temple of Yazd now draws a new generation of pilgrims keen to learn the
meaning behind the religion’s winged symbol. SPANISH TOUR GUIDE “It means speak well
to people, respect them, let them respect you.” Iranian authorities
regard Zoroastrianism as part of Islam’s heritage and welcome these Spanish
tourists with their desperately needed dollars. The big draw card
here is the temple’s eternal flame – reputed to have been burning for 1,200
years. (MUSIC) But tourism alone
may not be enough to save the Zoroastrians of Yazd. Their numbers are
steadily declining through emigration and a ban on conversions. Even their ascent
to the next life has been hampered by the modern world. Just a stone’s
throw from the suburbs of twentieth century Yazd, we meet Zoroastrian Ardeshir
Bazadeh. SCHOOLTEACHER
SUBTITLED “The number of
people buried here is not exactly known but it would be in the hundreds of
thousands.” This is the Tower
of Silence. Until the early
1960’s – the final resting place for the Zoroastrian dead. GRAB SCHOOLTEACHER “They would put the
dead in here for the vultures to eat their flesh and for the sun and the heat
to kill the germs. What was left behind were the bones which were clean and
they would bury them in the well.” This age-old ritual
was stopped by health authorities who feared disease would spread to the
encroaching suburbs. (Girls singing) The vultures are
long gone and Zoroastrians are now buried in cemeteries. But many dream of a
day when the great birds return and the health regulations of the modern
world turn to dust. A day when the
faithful can once again ascend the Tower of Silence to heaven. (Girls singing) And if the meek do
inherit the earth, perhaps many of them will be of the flowers of this
ancient yet gentle faith. (More singing) |