Towers of Silence (Dakhma)

On a desert plain several kilometres southwest of Yazd, two large circular stone platforms rise from the gravel — the dakhmas, or Towers of Silence, where Yazd's Zoroastrian community practised sky burial until the mid-20th century. The towers themselves are off-limits, but you can walk up to and around them, and the barren landscape and mountain backdrop make for a striking destination.

Beside the towers are the ruins of the associated buildings: ossuaries where bones were collected, wells, and the caretaker's quarters. The whole site sits in a wide, quiet valley with excellent views of the surrounding desert. A taxi from central Yazd takes about 20 minutes; many travellers combine the visit with the Zoroastrian village of Cham nearby. Allow at least two hours for the site and surroundings.

things to do sight
A story
Zoroastrian tradition holds that burying or burning the dead would contaminate the sacred earth and fire. Instead, the deceased were laid on the flat tops of these circular stone towers for birds of prey to consume — a rite called sky burial. The practice continued in Yazd until the 1960s, when the community adopted conventional burial after government pressure.