Summary
Highlights
Zoroastrianism is an ancient Persian religion, potentially originating 4,000 years ago, and is arguably the world's first monotheistic faith. It was the state religion of three Persian dynasties until the Muslim conquest in the 7th century A.D. Today, it has an estimated 100,000 to 200,000 followers worldwide, primarily in Iran and India.
The prophet Zarathustra (Zoroaster) is considered the founder of Zoroastrianism. Most information about him comes from the Avesta, a collection of religious scriptures. While some scholars believe he lived in the 6th century BC, linguistic and archaeological evidence points to an earlier period, between 1500 and 1200 BC. He is thought to have been born in what is now northeastern Iran or southwestern Afghanistan. At age 30, Zarathustra had a divine vision and began teaching the worship of a single god, Ahura Mazda.
In the 1990s, an early Zoroastrian fire temple dating to the second millennium BC was discovered in Turkmenistan, making it the earliest known site associated with the religion. Zoroastrianism was the state religion of three major Persian dynasties, including the Achaemenid Empire founded by Cyrus the Great, a devout Zoroastrian. Cyrus was known for his tolerance and did not impose Zoroastrianism on conquered peoples, allowing them to practice their own religions according to the law of Asha.
The beliefs of Zoroastrianism spread across Asia via the Silk Road. Scholars suggest that its tenets influenced major Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, through the Persian Empire. Concepts like a single god, heaven, hell, and a day of judgment may have been introduced to the Jewish community during their Babylonian captivity. Zoroastrianism would continue to dominate two more Persian dynasties, the Parthian and Sasanian Empires, until the Muslim conquest in the 7th century A.D.