Tower of Silence, Yazd

The Tower of Silence, in Zoroastrian tradition, is a circular, stone or brick structure used for funerary practices. Corpses are placed on the roof, divided into three rings for men, women, and children, to be exposed to the sun and scavenging birds. This practice, rooted in the belief of purifying the dead without contaminating sacred elements like earth and fire, has largely ceased in the last forty years. Modern Zoroastrians now prefer burial. These towers, some over 3000 years old, are primarily found in parts of Iran such as Yazd, Kerman, and Tehran.