Gasping For Life
(In Progress)
Driving from the desert city of Yazd, located in the center of Iran, towards the north and the south, you encounter Zoroastrian villages that are now gasping for life; some are even buried under the sands. These villages, still inhabited, first grab your attention by their single ancient cypress tree, some of which are over 3000- years old. The migration of Zoroastrians to the center of Iran, where these villages are located, goes back to the time of the Muslim conquest of Persia in the 7th century CE. After the passing of centuries, these villages are where the culture, tradition, and religion of their ancestral lands are kept alive. These lands and their culture have been threatened throughout history by invasion. After hundreds of years of resilience and survival, these villages are now confronting a potentially fatal threat: drought. The unique architecture, the ancient ceremonies, and the values and traditions of these people are now being threatened by climate change.
