When the Prophet fell by the sword of darkness

[Anthea]

The founder of Zoroastrianism, Zarathustra (Zardosht),
was born in eastern Kurdistan during antiquity

He spoke of an eternal struggle between light and darkness, truth and falsehood. In the Sacred Scriptures, Avesta, two worlds are described:

Arya, people of light and order.

Turan, the forces of darkness and chaos

.This wasn't just myth or poetry - it was a worldview.

Arya stood for justice, law and balance.

Turan was seen as the opposite: violence, injustice and destruction.

According to Shahnameh, the conflict reached its dramatic climax when Zoroaster himself was assassinated by a Turani soldier inside his temple in the city of Balkh.

There, at the fire that burned for Ahura Mazda, the prophet fell for the forces he devoted his life to fighting.

But his ideas and his fire survived - among other things in the mountains of Kurdistan, where many of his followers fled.

What was the Turan?

Turan was a historical region in Central Asia, mentioned in both Avesta and later historical sources. Before the Mongolian tribes entered the area, the Turans themselves were an indigenous people of Central Asia.

In Zoroastrianism, Turan became more than a geographical location - it became a symbol of evil, of the forces of lie and darkness. Arya, on the other hand, stood for truth and light.

When Zarathustra was murdered, it was a symbol of how the darkness tried to extinguish the light.

But just as the fires in the Zoroastrian temples continued to burn, so too the memory of Arya and the fight for justice have lived on – not least among the Kurds, who carry this historical and spiritual legacy in their souls.