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Towers of Silence The religion known as Zoroastrianism is based on the teachings of an ancient Persian prophet named Zoroaster (also called Zarathustra), who probably lived at least 2500 years ago. One of the unusual aspects of this religion is the practice of placing dead human bodies on top of a structure known as a Tower of Silence, and then allowing the flesh to be eaten by vultures and other birds. These "towers" are actually solid structures, made of stone, which resemble a circular building with a flat roof. After a corpse is placed on the roof, vultures usually eat all of the flesh within a short time, leaving the bones picked clean.
Zoroastrians consider earth, water, air and fire to be sacred, but regard the putrefying flesh of a dead body as unclean. They have traditionally avoided burial because the decaying body would defile the sacred earth. Similarly, they oppose cremation because the burning flesh would pollute the sacred fire. They can avoid these desecrations by using Towers of Silence to dispose of their dead.
The roofs of these towers are divided into three concentric rings. The bodies of men are put in the outer ring, bodies of women go into the middle ring, and dead children are placed in the inner ring. Vultures often sit on a tower to be ready in case a new corpse arrives. After the bones of a body are picked clean, they are collected and put into a pit sunk into the center of the roof, where they eventually disintegrate.
After Muslim invaders conquered Persia in the 7th century, the new rulers discriminated against Zoroastrians, and during the following centuries a large majority of the population gradually converted to Islam. Many of the remaining Zoroastrians migrated to other areas, including India, where they are now known as Parsis (or Parsees). According to most estimates, less than 25,000 practicing Zoroastrians still live within the area of ancient Persia, which roughly corresponds to the modern country of Iran.
During the last decades of the 20th century, the government of Iran began making attempts to prohibit the use of the towers for disposal of the dead. Also during this period, vandals began stealing corpses from the
