SOAS Research Online

Abstract

The Čahār-Taq of Mil-e Milagah consists of four corner piers that had once been connected to each other by a vault, and whose inner area was roofed by a dome, which rested on squinches. The inner area of the Čahār-Taq contains a great number of installations associated with cult rituals. A detailed analysis of the layout and cult installations of the Čahār-Taq provides a significant contribution towards our knowledge and understanding of the Zoroastrian temple cult of fire during the Sasanian period. This paper proposes that the sacred fire venerated in the fire temple of Mil-e Milagah may have been Ataš-e Adaran, a parish fire that served a village or a town quarter. This fire temple of Mil-e Milagah would likely have been a site of reverence and pilgrimage on special occasions for a local village community during the Sasanian period.