Ubiquitously Uzbekistan – The Zoroastrian Tower of Silence

The train headed west toward Khiva. As it turned out, the desert climate of Bukhara would pale in comparison to that of Khiva. When we left the train station, we were greeted with a frigidity for which I was completely unprepared. We went from 38 degrees Celsius in the height of heat in Bukhara to 7 degrees Celsius in Khiva within the span of a couple days.

Our driver and guide Uma came for us and we hopped into the car right away. We were going westward to see a few sites, which suggests that it would get colder as we progressed through the day. The first stop was the Chilpik Kala.

I was very worried that I would get sick, as a result missing the sightseeing in Khiva to begin the next day. I felt that a cold was developing. For the time being, I decided that I would not walk out and see the Chilpik Kala. It requires climbing up a hill and the wind was blowing hard. I will say just a few words here about the site.

Zoroastrianism

Perhaps a brief introduction of the Zoroastrian faith is helpful.

Zoroastrianism is one of the world’s oldest organized faith. It may have begun in 2,000 B.C. It has origin from Iran, with Zoroaster as its prophet. The sacred text of Zoroastrianism is the Avesta. For a millennium between 600 B.C. and 650 A.D., Zoroastrianism was the official religion for all Persian empires. Three such Persian empires, the Parthian, Sassanian, and the Achaemenian ruled over modern-day Uzbekistan.

This official Persian faith met its decline with the Muslim invasion of Persia and the fall of the Sasanian Empire. Because its adherents fled to India, the religion had spread to the Indian subcontinent. As such, Zoroastrianism is still being practiced today in Iran, India and in North America. However, followers number only in the range of about 100,000 now.

“Zoroastrians exalt an uncreated and benevolent deity of wisdom, commonly referred to as ‘Ahura Mazda’ as the universe’s supreme being; opposed to Ahura Mazda is ‘Angra Mainyu,’ who is personified as a destructive spirit and the adversary of all things good.” In the Zoroastrian worldview, the good will ultimately win over the evil. The human being lives life amidst the constant battle to do good against the evil. Central in the teaching of Zoroastrianism is the human’s moral choice, and thus the concept of one’s free will to live a good and upright life.

Another core aspect of the Zoroastrian worldview is the dedication to the protection of nature and its elements, including fire, water, earth and air. The faith calls upon followers to revere Yazatas (the divine spirits), which entails the preservation of nature.

The Chilpik Kala (Zoroastrian Tower of Silence)

The Chilpik Kala is also known as the Zoroastrian Tower of Silence. It stands roofless, at 15 meters high and 65 meters in diameter, on the top of the rounded natural hill.

The Zoroastrian Tower of Silence in Uzbekistan is believed to be a structure of 2,200 years. This historical relic stands testament to the Zoroastrian worldview of good and evil. Because a corpse is believed to be the host of decay (of evil), it must be disposed in a way that does not pollute the good nature. A person’s remains is thrown into the tower in the open for the birds of prey. Then the bones are collected and placed into earthenware vessels, and finally buried into the ground.

After the Zoroastrian times, the Chilpik Kala was believed to serve as a signal and defense tower along with other fortresses of the Khorezm Shakh State. Finally, in this part of Uzbekistan, the Karakalpakstan, a semiautonomous republic within Uzbekistan (there will be more on the Karakalpakstan people in the Muynak entry), features the Chilpik Kala in its coat of arms.

After visiting the Chilpik Kala, we would be visiting the Nukus Museum of Art. Then we would be visiting the Muynak Ship Cemetery, for which I was most excited. The final stop was at a necropolis that was still being restored. The day would end when we rode many hours back to Khiva. Indeed, by the time we checked in to the hotel, it was near midnight.

Sources

The Wikipedia on Zoroastrianism.

Uzbekistan-travel.com, Chilpyk – Zoroastrian Tower of Silence.

Meher Mirza, In Uzbekistan, The Last Remnants of an Ancient Civilization, heremagazine.com.