To many Orientalists, Zoroastrianism is one of the oldest religions. Originating in ancient Persia around 1200 BCE, its tenets and philosophy are based on the teachings of Prophet Zoroaster (also known as Zarathustra). The religion is essentially synonymous with Mazdaism, which manifests the divine authority of Ahura Mazda proclaimed by Zoroaster and demonstrated by Zoroastrian articles of faith.
Ahura Mazda means ’Wise Lord’, who is compassionate, just and creator of the universe. According to Zoroastrian liturgy, Ahura Mazda is Omniscient, Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Unchanging and impossible for humans to conceive. He is the creator of life and the source of all goodness and happiness. This view about the creator conforms with Islamic precepts.
Origins
According to Shahnameh (meaning “The Book of Kings“, a celebrated epic poem written by Ferdowsi around 1000 CE), Zoroaster appeared in the royal court of Gushtasb and proclaimed his religion. King Gushtasb embraced Zoroaster’s teachings which basically promote wellbeing and lofty values for human beings.
Zoroastrianism was once the dominant religion in Iran and practiced by the Iranian tribes, including but not limited to the Persians, the Pashtoons, the Balouchis, the Ossetics, the Yaghnobis and the Kurds.
Zoroaster’s birthplace is called Regeh on he River Darji near Lake Chichist which is supposed to have been on the west of Orumieh Lake according to some scholars, while others believe the place was near Rey City near Tehran. Their holy scripture is called Avesta, which is the collection of the sacred texts of Zoroastrianism. Although the texts are very old, the extant compendium is essentially the result of a redaction that is thought to have occurred during the reign of Shapur II (309Ð379 CE).
Beliefs
Zoroastrians believe that everything that God created is pure and should be treated with love and respect. This includes the natural environment, so Zoroastrians traditionally do not pollute the rivers, land or atmosphere. This has caused some to call Zoroastrianism “the first ecological religion“.
Fravahar in the Zarathustrian creed is one of the spiritual powers with which God invests man at the moment of birth, and it returns to the spiritual sphere after death.
“Amesha Spandan“ translates as ’Holy Immortals’. Just as light rays are emanated from the sun but are not the sun, so the Amesha Spentas are emanated by God but are not God. These emanations are seen as the divine attributes of God each of which is associated with a particular aspect of creation.
In Zoroastrianism, Ahura Mazda has an adversary called Angra Mainyu (meaning “destructive spirit“), who is considered the originator of death and all that is evil in the world.
Zoroastrian beliefs can best be summed up by the maxim: Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds. They try to live their daily lives by this creed.
All of the three are inexorably recommended in Islamic ethics. This proximity of belief is the main reason behind Zoroastrians’ eagerness to embrace Islam.
Coexistence
Zoroastrian communities live in Tehran, as well as in Yazd, Kerman and Kermanshah, where many still speak an Iranian language distinct from the standard Persian. Their language is also called Gabri or Behdinan (literally “Of the Good Religion“).
Since the advent of Islam in Persia, this vast terrain has accommodated an array of multilingual peoples with different religious and cultural values. They continue to coexist in peace and harmony.
Loyalty to the state is one of the notable characteristics of Zoroastrianism, which was demonstrated during the 1980-88 Iraq-imposed war.
Zoroastrians were in the vanguard of battles shoulder-to-shoulder with their Muslim compatriots and many laid down their lives for their beloved motherland.

The international registration of Norouz as an intangible cultural heritage will be discussed in the meeting of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, which will be held in Istanbul in November.
Mohammad Reza Saeed-Abadi, the head of Iran’s National UNESCO Commission, said that Iran’s two regional and national cultural heritage cases have also been referred to UNESCO.
Saeed-Abadi told CHN that these cases will be filed for registration as intangible cultural heritage in the November session. Norouz is one of the oldest historical-cultural events in Iran.


Isfahan Agenda
Speaking in a press conference held on the sidelines of the 6th Anniversary for the Establishment of National UNESCO, Saeed-Abadi said the UNESCO’s National Commission will also submit two dossiers titled “Masalek Al-Mamalek“ by Iran’s National Museum and “Administrative Handwritten Documents of Safavid Era“ by Astan-e Qods Razavi finalized by the UNESCO’s Memory of the World Committee.
“UNESCO also has registration of written heritages on its agenda in addition to the registration of cultural, natural and intellectual heritages,“ he said.
According to Saeed-Abadi, Baysonqori Shahnameh and Rab-e Rashidi’s letter of endowment have already been registered by UNESCO.
“UNESCO’s National Commission has a total of 13 active committees, including cultural heritage, natural, water, earth sciences, communications development, world memory, social management and changes, ethics in biological and behavior sciences,“ he said.
Saeed-Abadi stated that the committees comprise experts and managers of other institutions and the coordinating commission is in charge of their cases and also coordination with UNESCO.
“UNESCO regional meeting on UNESCO’s seal of excellence for West Asia will also be held in Isfahan this year,“ he said.

Joint Initiative
Meanwhile, the head of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization said that the registration process of Iran’s traditional concept of Norouz also provides an opportunity for other nations celebrating Norouz festivities every year.
Esfandiyar Rahim-Mashaei added that since Norouz is also a cultural event in10 other countries in addition to Iran, UNESCO has announced that all those countries should jointly pursue the registration of Norouz.
He noted that countries such as Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan and Turkey have been assigned with different responsibilities in the registration process.
“UNESCO has commissioned Iran to follow up the international registration process of Norouz,“ he said.
Intangible Cultural Heritage, as defined by the UNESCO Convention, consists of non-physical characteristics, practices, representations, expressions as well as knowledge and skills that identify and define a group or civilization.