Zoroastrianism in Central Asia and today

Zoroastrianism is one of the oldest faiths formed in the area of Central Asia and Iran; scholars do not agree on when its prophet Zarathustra lived (proposals range from about 1500–1000 BC to the traditional 6th century BC). The sacred source, the Avesta, has several parts: the Yasna (containing the 17 “Gathas” – poetic hymns attributed to Zarathustra), the Visperad, the Vendidad, the Yashts and the Khordeh Avesta. According to tradition, much of the Avesta was lost through conquests and destruction; al-Biruni also wrote about the lost parts of the Avesta in “The Remains of Past Centuries”. The field that studies the Avesta is Avestan studies; major centres exist in several countries including India, Iran, Russia and the USA. Today Zoroastrians live mainly in India (the Parsis, who according to tradition descend from those who left Iran between the 8th and 10th centuries; about 57,000 in the 2011 census) and Iran (about 23,000 in the 2016 census), and the world total is estimated at roughly 100,000–200,000. Their temples keep a sacred fire; communities differ in language, form of worship and calendar, and some hold reformist views. In 2001 UNESCO marked the 2700th anniversary of the Avesta, and a monument to the Avesta stands in Urgench.