Towers of Silence

On two barren hills south of Yazd stand circular stone enclosures known as dakhmeh, or Towers of Silence. Zoroastrians believe that earth and fire are sacred and must not be polluted by the dead, so for centuries bodies were laid out inside these walled platforms, open to the sky, where vultures and the sun did their work. The practice was ended in the 20th century, and today the community uses a cemetery nearby.

At the foot of the hills lie the ruins of the buildings where families gathered for the funeral rites — mud-brick houses, a water cistern and windcatchers. Climbing up to the towers takes about ten minutes and rewards you with wide views over the desert city; at sunset the silence and the light are unforgettable.