Zoroastrian Funerals and Towers of Silence Quiz

Answer: Ephedra plant (Hum)

Haoma juice is extracted primarily from the twigs of the Ephedra plant (known natively in Persian as hum or haoma), sometimes crushed alongside pomegranate twigs. It is rich in naturally occurring ephedrine alkaloids that boost heart rate and alertness.

In the first step of the traditional Zoroastrian funeral ceremony, the bitter golden extract is administered to a dying person so their departing soul gains physical strength, spiritual clarity, and immortality during its transition. An oil lamp is also kept burning close to the head of the person as it is believed that a short while before death, the soul is timid and begins to hover outside the body. The lamp provides peace and comfort.

Answer: Bull

As the person takes their last breath, a prayer vigil is held and both Zoroastrians as weil as non-Zoroastrians are traditionaily allowed to pay their last respects to the deceased.

In Zoroastrian tradition, dead matter attracts the corpse demon (Nasu). Therefore, the next step in the ceremony is to have a final ritual bath called a Sachkar. The body is rubbed down with gomez, which is unconsecrated or consecreated bull's urine. Ancient ritual texts view gomez as a powerful spiritual disinfectant. The body is then rinsed with clean warm water and dressed in a white cotton shroud.

Answer: Three

After the bathing ceremony has been performed, it is believed that the corpse demons begin to increase in number and in activity. The corpse bearers, or nasasalars, now enter the room and are connected to each other by a cord. The body is placed on three stone slabs with the deceased's head pointing away from the north (where the corpse demons dwell).

The nasasalars then draw a circle three times around the corpse with a nail or any other metallic object; while doing so, they recite many sacred prayers. This practice of creating a demarcated space around the corpse is done in order that the infectious corpse demons may be ritually contained.

Answer: Dog

A Zoroastrian funeral should take place only during the daylight hours, as it is believed that the sun's rays are strong and purifying. During the elapsed time between the ritual bath and the funeral, a prayer vigil over the corpse continues, in order to give sustained protection to the body and soul.

Meanwhile, at the change of each period of day, a special dog is brought into the area. The dog has spots above its eyes, so it appears to have four eyes in total. These dogs are believed to not only sense any remaining life form in the corpse, but they can ward off the evil Nasu demons.

Answer: False

At the start of the official funeral, the corpse bearers have a seat on the floor. Two officiating priests then enter the room.They stand some distance from the corpse, near the door. They then recite sacred prayers.

Upon the recitation of the words "through whose strength we might conquer the Lie", the priests pause and turn their faces away. If eye contact takes place between the priests and the corpse demons, then affliction and harm may befall the priests.

Answer: Iron

The corpse is now moved from the stone slabs to an iron bier. Porous materials like wood absorb and retain corpse impurity (nasai), while non-porous metal keeps pollution contained during transport. During this transfer of the body, people in the room turn away in case some demons escape during this process.

Answer: They do not wear the protective sudreh shirt and kusti cord

Upon the completion of the funeral ceremony, the sezdo (paying of respect) takes place. Zoroastrian males followed by the invited high priest and then the ladies in the room, all bow to pay their homage to the deceased.

Zoroastrians believe that death is the work of evil and precautions must always be taken. Therefore, they wear a sacred shirt and girdle to ward off the actions of the corpse demons. As non-Zoroastrians are not allowed to wear these items, they are kept out of this step for their own protection. The same applies to pregnant women (for the unborn babies) and for uninitiated children.

Answer: Dakhma

The dakhma (Tower of Silence) is a large, open-air circular stone structure built specifically to facilitate natural excarnation (process leaving only the skeleton) while strictly adhering to Zoroastrian environmental and ritual laws.

The core purpose of the structure is to prevent dead human tissue from contaminating the sacred elements of Earth, Fire, and Water. By elevating the bodies on non-porous stone beds, scavengers like vultures can quickly strip the flesh, after which the hot sun bakes and desiccates the remaining bones without contacting soil or groundwater.

Answer: Men, women, children

In traditional Persian and Zoroastrian thought, the layout mirrors a protective family and social structure. Men are positioned on the outermost perimeter as traditional guardians and providers, shielding women in the center and children in the innermost, most protected core.

From a functional perspective, a circle's circumference expands as you move outward, so the outer ring offers the widest radial depth and largest total area. Placing adult men, who generally have the tallest frames, on the outer perimeter prevents bodies from overlapping or crowding the walkway

Answer: Runoff filters through underground layers of charcoal and sand

The central ossuary pit system protects the sacred element of Earth by ensuring dead matter never contacts the soil. The stone slabs of the circular floor slope gently downward toward the central pit. Organizing the bodies in neat, radially aligned rows keeps the rainwater drainage channels completely clear and allows the official pallbearers to systematically sweep sun-bleached bones into the center without stepping over other remains.

From the central pit, all rainwater and fluids pass through four sloped underground channels lined with charcoal and sand filter beds, completely purifying the water before it meets the surrounding earth.