Mapping rare finds”

Thanks for a lovely story on "Mapping rare finds” in (Parsiana, January 7, 2007). The cover photo caption "Guebre De Yezd – Perse” needs a little explanation: Zoroastrians were called by the derogatory term "Guebre” by the Musal­mans in Iran. The Parsi gentleman on the cover is wearing a loose turban because one of the humiliating rules at that time was that Zoroastrians were not allowed to wear tightly wound turbans, like the ones our priests wear in India. The color of his outer raiment is yellow, the compulsory color all Zoroastrians had to wear in Iran so that they could be identified as such in public. Most of the Zoroastrians during those difficult times had retreated to the town of Yezd or Yazd.

I am sending you, from my own photo collection, four pictures of engravings made on copper from 1727 and 1728 that are housed in Amsterdam Museum (see next page).

From 1728: The first top engraving shows the "Parsis or Gaures” going through with a marriage ceremony. The engraving below is that of the Parsis baptizing a child by fire, while another magi is blessing a child. From the position of the fire altar it is apparent that this engraving must have been based on the artist’s imagination after witnessing such an event around the Caspian Sea where fires used to occur spontaneously due to trapped natural gas underground, somewhat like what one sees at the fire temple near Baku, Azerbaijan.

From 1727: The second engraving shows a Parsi death and funeral. In the top engraving a Parsi has just died, and a dog is strapped to his torso to confirm death. The engraving below depicts a Parsi funeral complete with mourning friends and relatives. Notice once again the same dog sitting next to the body. Notice also another body being consigned to the dakhma. There is no dearth of vultures. Look at the scene inside the dakhma. Does it not remind us of the pictures distributed recently by Dhun Baria?

ARDESHIR B. DAMANIA

Davis, California