Towers of Silence are the name given to raised structures used by Zoroastrians for exposing their dead to the elements. In this case, the sun and birds.

Here just outside of Yazd in Iran in one of two ancient Zoroastrian towers of silence. No longer used, you can climb up and inside the tower.

Inside the tower there is pit, where a body would be laid to rest. The sun would aid in its decomposing. At the same time birds would come down and eat away on the body.

A local told be when this ritual was being preformed, it wasn’t unheard of to have the odd human bone drop from the sky!

Travel Photography from Iran

Built in 1465 A.D and flattened to a crumbling heap during an earthquake in 1779. It took until 1973 before restoration finally began on this.

The mosque was built by Jahan Shah the ruler of Kara Koyunlu dynasty which controlled Persia, Azerbaijan and Turkey. Tabriz would become the capital of his Kingdom.

If you visit the mosque today, you will see great chunks of broken stone, tile and wall. But they are not scattered. Each one is numbered, and each one has been painstakingly sketched.

Visiting the blue mosque may not wow, you with it’s size nor beauty. But chanced are you will come across many people at work restoring this mosque. From, painters, to masons all the way to sculptures. That in itself is worth the visit.