Pir ( fa, پیر) refers to a site of

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

, typically one of the

Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheistic ...

faith, in Persian. Pirs range from localized devotional sites to major centers of worship.Aspandyar Sohrab Gotla (2000). "Guide to Zarthoshtrian historical places in Iran." University of Michigan Press. LCCN 2005388611 pg. 164 Among the most well-known pirs are the six mountain pir which can be found in and around the city of

Yazd Yazd ( fa, یزد ), formerly also known as Yezd, is the capital of Yazd Province, Iran. The city is located southeast of Isfahan. At the 2016 census, the population was 1,138,533. Since 2017, the historical city of Yazd is recognized as a Wor ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

: Seti Pir, Pir-e Sabz, Pir-e Nāraki, Pir-e Bānu, Pir-e Herisht, and Pir-e Nārestān. However, pirs can be found in cities throughout the Persian world including Kerman,

Shiraz Shiraz (; fa, شیراز, Širâz ) is the fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars Province, which has been historically known as Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the population of the city was 1,565,572 p ...

and

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

Structure of a Pir

There is no universal principle of design in Zoroastrian religious architecture; as a result, each pir has its own unique structures and features. However, there are certain traits which many pirs possess such as an altar-like structure used to house

atar Atar, Atash, or Azar ( ae, 𐬁𐬙𐬀𐬭, translit=ātar) is the Zoroastrian concept of holy fire, sometimes described in abstract terms as "burning and unburning fire" or "visible and invisible fire" (Mirza, 1987:389). It is considered to ...

or sacred fires. In mountain pirs, shrines often take the form of a large stone or solid piece of rock. Many of the larger shrines are located near a natural water source, the water of which may be considered sacred as well. Often,

plane trees ''Platanus'' is a genus consisting of a small number of tree species native to the Northern Hemisphere. They are the sole living members of the family Platanaceae. All mature members of ''Platanus'' are tall, reaching in height. All except f ...

or cypresses can be found in or near the pir. To these trees are sometimes tied wish-ribbons, a form of decorative, occasionally highly complex, textile garlands.

Modern practices

Traditionally, pilgrims would spend three days at pirs before departing; however, in modern times this practice has declined.Strausberg, Michael. (2004). ''Zoroastrian rituals in context.'' New York: Brill. pg. 591 The only exception to this is in Pir-e Sabz, where it is still common for worshippers to remain near the site from June 15 to 18, the traditional dates of pilgrimage. In

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, the Zoroastrian community annually gathers in a specific spot in the mountains on June 13 and practices the rituals and traditions that they would be enacting were they able to travel to Pir-e Sabz itself. This community has observed the pilgrimage days in this manner since 1999.

References

{{reflist Zoroastrian terminology

Structure of a Pir

Modern practices

See also

References