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Zoroastrians in Iran are the oldest religious community of the nation, with a long history. Prior to the Islamization of Iran, Zoroastrianism was the primary religion of Iran. Since the rise of the Shiite Safavid Empire in the 16th century AD, Zoroastrians in Iran have faced much religious discrimination, including forced conversions and harassment. According to Iran's 2012 census results, there were 25,271 Zoroastrians in Iran.〔http://www.amar.org.ir/〕〔(Iran is young, urbanised and educated: census ), AFP, ''The National''〕 ==Background== There are no written records from Zarathushtra's time. The earliest surviving written references to Zarathushtra are those of Greek writers from 1000 BC. Prophet Zoroaster and his first followers have been the proto-Indo-Iranians that lived between the Bronze Age and Iron Age (est. 1200-600 BC).〔Mary Boyce "''Zoroastrians, Their Religious Beliefs and Practices''" pp. 1〕 The term "Prophet" is of western origin as Zarathushtra is designated "Khordad" or that unique mortal who achieved spiritual perfection (he radiated an aura-"Khor") within his lifetime. The term "Za-rath-ush-tra" also translates to a Divine (Zari/Hari) Chariot (Rath) that brought heavenly Light-Knowledge (Ushtra) The time of the Iranian peoples' migration to Iran can be mainly estimated through Assyrian records.〔Mary Boyce "''Zoroastrians, Their Religious Beliefs and Practices''" ''Under the Achaemenians'' pp. 48〕 Also, Herodotus (I, 101) had recalled one of the Mede tribes to be called "Magoi", better known as "Magis", a tribe known to have included many priests, who served both Medes and Persians. By the time of the Median empire (est. 612 BC), Zoroastrianism is known to have been well established in both Pars region (later capital of Persia) as well as in the Eastern regions.〔Mary Boyce "''Zoroastrians, Their Religious Beliefs and Practices''" pp. 49〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Zoroastrians in Iran」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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