Ka'ba-ye Zartosht, Ancient fire temple in Marvdasht, Iran
Ka'ba-ye Zartosht is a cube-shaped tower of white limestone near Marvdasht, built as a single rectangular chamber. Its walls show carefully cut blocks joined by precise dovetail connections without mortar, and a narrow stairway leads to the raised entrance.
The structure arose during the reign of Darius I around 500 BCE, when Persian craftsmen built it as a royal archive. Shapur I later added inscriptions in three languages to document military victories and diplomatic agreements.
The name refers to Zarathustra, founder of the ancient Persian religion, though the exact origin of the structure remains unclear. Its stone walls once carried multilingual texts recording royal deeds, showing travelers the reach of the empire.
The tower stands freely in the archaeological zone of Naqsh-e Rustam, reachable by the road between Shiraz and Isfahan. Visitors can climb the stone steps and enter the chamber through the door at the top, though sturdy footwear helps on the uneven stairs.
The rectangular chamber inside remains empty and undecorated, leaving questions about its original function. Some scholars believe astronomers used the raised position to observe the sky and set ritual calendars.
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