Ashkaft Yazdan Cave

There is a cave called Ashkaft Yazdan Cave 70 km from Ardakan City and 45 km from Aqda, which in addition to being considered a natural attraction, is a sacred place for Iranian Zoroastrians, as it was once the place where their sacred fire was preserved.

The Importance of Ashkaft Yazdan Cave for Zoroastrians

Before the advent of Islam in Iran, a large number of Iranians believed in Zoroastrianism. This religion is one of the oldest religions in the world and one of its beliefs is that the world is the scene of the battle between good and evil, and in the end, good will defeat evil. Followers of Zoroastrianism gather in fire temples and stand in front of the fire to worship Ahura Mazda.

Zoroastrians have a sacred fire that they never allow to be extinguished. At present, their sacred fire is kept in a special place in the Varharam Fire Temple of Yazd. This fire has been lit in the past 2500 years and is still being protected.

In the 7th century AD and at the time of the advent of Islam in Iran, the Zoroastrians took their sacred fire to Ashkaft Yazdan Cave to preserve it. At that time, this fire was located in the Nahid Fire Temple of Yazd and was then taken to Turkabad in Ardakan and from there moved to Ashkaft Yazdan Cave, which was chosen because of its difficult path to cross.

This cave was the host of the sacred fire until 1946 AD and was finally transferred to the Varharam Fire Temple. During the time this fire was Ashkaft Yazdan Cave, Zoroastrians from different parts of Iran and from countries like India used to go to this cave to visit the fire and sometimes spend a night there. Hosting the sacred fire has also made this cave sacred for Zoroastrians. The name of this cave also originates from its important position in Zoroastrian beliefs.

The Inner Shape of Ashkaft Yazdan Cave

The diameter of the cave varies from the entrance to its end. At the entrance of the cave, its diameter is about 60 meters and gradually decreases to 45 meters at the end.

Geologists attribute the formation of this cave to the early Quaternary period (about two and a half million years ago). Three stalagmites can be seen in the middle of the cave the height of one of which is about 3.80 meters. The other two stalagmites are 1.2 and 0.4 meters high.

Some evidence in the cave shows that it was used as a habitat in the past and some existing evidence indicates that Zoroastrians used the cave as a fire temple. Since the interior of the cave is very large and can accommodate up to a thousand people, it was, therefore, considered a suitable place to perform Zoroastrian ceremonies.

Since according to Zoroastrians, the sacred fire should never be extinguished, structures had been created in the cave so that the airflow would not extinguish the fire. A lot of ash can be seen on the floor of the cave, which is the result of keeping the fire burning for centuries. The plants grown near the cave include Milkvetch, Mugworts, and Prunus scoparia.

How to Access the AshkAft Yazdan Cave?

Ashkaft Yazdan Cave is located near a village named Hafthar, which can be reached from both Aqda and Nadushan. The path to the cave is shorter through the Nadushan area. After passing three kilometers from the Hafthar Village, there is a side road on the right, which leads to the cave at a distance of eight kilometers. The path is a dirt road, but not very rough.

After reaching a rural Aghul (pen), one has to walk the rest of the way. A water reservoir can be seen next to this pen. The Ashkaft Yazdan Cave can be seen after about two hours of walk.

Since Ashkaft Yazdan Cave is located in a mountainous region, it is better to choose autumn and winter to visit this cave in order to avoid the scorching heat or to arrange the timing of the trip in such a way to visit this place in the early hours of the day in other seasons.

Keeping in view its unique beauty and amazing history, Ashkaft Yazdan Cave was inscribed on the list of Iran’s national heritage in the year 2019 AD.

Zoroastrians have a sacred fire that they never allow to be extinguished. At present, their sacred fire is kept in a special place in the Varharam Fire Temple of Yazd. This fire has been lit in the past 2500 years and is still being protected.