Zoroastrian Fire Temple — Yazd Priest Portrait
699.00 د.إ
A Zoroastrian priest (mobed) at the Atash Behram fire temple in Yazd, Iran — in white ceremonial clothing and face mask, tending the sacred fire that has burned continuously for over 1,500 years.
Description
The Atash Behram fire temple in Yazd contains a sacred fire maintained continuously for over 1,500 years the longest continuously burning fire of any religious tradition. The mobed priests who tend the fire wear white to represent purity and a cloth mask over the mouth to prevent breath contamination of the flame. This portrait was made with the temple administration’s permission during a regular fire-tending ceremony, the mobed in his white robes and padam face mask in the position of flame attention. The fire burns in a large metal urn visible to the right of the frame; the polished brass vessel reflects the firelight onto the mobed’s white clothing. Shot on a 50mm prime at f/2.8 using the available firelight and the indirect window light of the fire chamber, no additional lighting — the warm fire tones against the white clothing define the image’s colour palette.
