Zoroastrianism in Iran
It remained the Iranian state religion until the 7th century CE, when the Arab conquest of Persia resulted in the fall of the Sasanian Empire to the nascent Rashidun Caliphate.
Over time, the persecution of Zoroastrians led to them becoming a religious minority amidst the Islamization of Iran, as many fled east to take refuge in India.
Today, Iran has the second- or third-largest Zoroastrian population in the world, behind only India and possibly the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
The official Iranian census of 2011 recorded a total of 25,271 Zoroastrians in the country, but several unofficial accounts suggest higher figures.
[citation needed] The time of the Iranian peoples' migration to Iran can be mainly estimated through Assyrian records.
[7]: 49 European academics first came into contact with Zoroastrianism in Iran during the seventeenth century, at a time when Islam was the dominant religion.
[7]: 49 As Persians expanded their empire, Zoroastrianism was introduced to Greek historians such as Hermodorus, Hermippus, Xanthos, Eudoxus and Aristotle, each giving a different time period for the life of Zoroaster.
[7]There are no inscriptions left from the time of Cyrus about his religion, though the fire-altars found at Pasargadae, and his daughter Atossa being named for the queen of Vishtaspa (Zoroaster's royal patron), suggest that he indeed may have been a Zoroastrian.
[citation needed] One of the main functions of Persepolis was to serve as the host of the ancient Zoroastrian festival, Norouz.
Therefore, every year representatives from each country under the rule of Persia would bring gifts to Persepolis to show their loyalty to the king and the empire.
[citation needed] The Sasanian Empire (224-651) declared Zoroastrianism as the state religion and promoted a religious revival.
The acceptance of Christianity in Caucasian Iberia saw Zoroastrianism there slowly but surely decline,[12] and as late as the 5th century, it was still widely practiced, almost having the status of a second established religion.
The central Zurvanite belief made Ahura Mazda (Middle Persian: Ohrmuzd) and Angra Mainyu (Ahriman) twin brothers that had co-existed for all time.
Following the transfer of Khalid to the Roman front in the Levant, the Muslims eventually lost their holdings to Iranian counterattacks.
The second invasion began in 636 under Saad ibn Abi Waqqas, when a key victory at the Battle of Qadisiyyah led to the permanent end of Sasanian control west of Iran.
By 651, most of the urban centers in Iranian lands, with the notable exception of the Caspian provinces and Transoxiana, had come under the domination of the Arab armies.
Regardless, Islam was adopted by many, for political, socio-cultural or spiritual reasons, or simply by persuasion, and became the dominant religion.
However, within half a century of the conquest, the leader of the Ilkhanate, Ghazan Khan, who had been raised a member of the Church of the East,[19] converted to Islam.
As per official policy, Safavids wanted everyone to convert to orthoprax Twelver Shi'ism and killed hundreds of thousands of Zoroastrians alongside others who refused.
[21] The majority of Zoroastrians also left for India; about 20% remained, most of whom had to migrate in the late 19th century as the Qajar dynasty imposed greater restrictions on them.
Due to the increasing contacts with influential Parsi philanthropists such as Maneckji Limji Hataria, many Zoroastrians left Iran for India.
Starting from the early twentieth century, Tehran, the nation's capital, experienced rapid migrations from all Iranian minorities.
