آتشکده

Built from آتش (âtash, "fire") + کده (kade, "house, dwelling"). The Zoroastrian tradition reveres fire as the visible symbol of Ahura Mazda's truth and light, not as God itself, contrary to outsider misunderstanding. The آتش بهرام at Yazd has been continuously burning for over 1,500 years, making it among the oldest continuously kept ritual flames on earth. Iran's constitution recognizes Zoroastrians as a protected minority with parliamentary representation. The community numbers roughly 25,000 today, mostly in Yazd, Kerman, and Tehran.