ZOROASTRIANISM: THE ASPIRATION OF AN ANCIENT BELIEF TOWARDS PERFECTION

Аннотация

В статье рассматривается возникновение и развитие зороастрийских верований. Зороастризм, как и другие религии, занимает важное место в жизни людей. Это также свидетельствует о том, что некоторые элементы религиозных ритуалов сохранились до наших дней. В нем также содержится информация об обнаружении элементовзороастрийскихпогребальных ритуаловнаархеологических памятниках. Ключевые слова. Зороастризм, религиозные верования, бронзовый век, земледельческая культура,огонь,памятник,скотоводство,обычаи,дахма,ассуарий. Zoroastrianism is one of the oldest world religions and has been the main religion of many Eastern peoples for over a thousand years. Before the spread of Islam, the peoples of Central Asia, Iran, and Azerbaijan followed this faith. Even after the arrival of Islam, this religion maintained its position for a long time. The influence of Zoroastrianism grew stronger as several states were established in theMiddle East, and its customs and principles later affected the newly formed religions and traditions. As a result of analyzing the Avesta, it becomes evident that until the time of Zarathustra, our primitive ancestors adhered to various tribal religious beliefs. Primitive relations were gradually replaced by the earliest class-based society. A strong idea was necessary for the formation of this era. Because local tribal religions became a force hindering the rise of society to a new stage of development. In these complex times, the need arose to unite the various tribes of the region, thereby uniting them around the idea of statehood. Zarathustra entered the historical arena as one oftheprogressive people ofhis time,correctly understanding this necessity [1,–P.197]. Oneofthe features that completely distinguishes Zoroastrianism from otherreligions, such as the worship of fire, is the peculiarity of the burial rite. The bodies were transported to special places - burial chambers, and the bones, cleaned by birds, were placed in ossuaries. [2, – P. 53-56]. According to Zoroastrian teachings, it was considered a sin to bury people's bodies in the ground after death. Therefore, after a person's death, their body was carried to special hills. These hills 289 Volume 4, issue 2, 2025 were located far from human habitation, and on the hill various dogs, eagles, and wild birds ate human flesh and separated it from bones. And the rain cleansed the bones even more. The sun dried it completely. After this, people living around the hill collected the bones, placed them in pottery vessels, and in many cases were buried in the deceased's house. These vessels were called ostadons or ossuaries. The shape ofthe ostadon varied, with a rectangular base and a lid of various shapes, even in the form of a human head or figure, sometimes resembling a jug, sometimes in the form of a seated person. [3, 4]. The faces of the ostadon were decorated with relief images or drawings. These images reflect the customs of people of that time, for example, mourning events. Numerous such remains have been found in Central Asia, particularly in Khorezm. (Xumbuztepa [2,- P.53-56], Mizdahkon [5, -P. 65-70], Qirontov [6], Toq qal'a[7, -P. 171.;8], etc.). As mentioned above, creatures that cleanse bones after death (various dogs, eagles, wild birds) were considered sacred. Especially in their work, the eagle was valued very differently in people's lives. In the Kashkadarya region, elements of various religious beliefs are reflected in many examples of material culture. One of the examples of material culture is the ossuaries associated with burial rites, usually made of ceramics and stones. Ossuaries discovered and studied during scientific research and numerous archaeological and ethnographic expeditions in Kashkadarya are preserved in the "Shakhrisabz" State Museum-Reserve. In 2012, fragments of printed (stamped) ossuaries dating back to the6th-7th centuries were discovered in Yumoloktepa, located 5km southeast of Shahrisabz. Thehillappears to consistofthe remains of asmall village fortress. When the ossuary fragments were reconstructed by combining them, it was found that two of them were whole ossuaries and one was half. All of them are red clay, have the same composition in terms of shape and decorations, and their exterior is engraved in bright colors [9, -P.48-55]. One of the main reasons for the constant burning of fires in Zoroastrian temples was that during thespread ofbelief, that is, at the end of the Bronze Age and thebeginning of the Early Iron Age, the climate in Central Asia cooled down. In turn, our ancestors, in order to help socially vulnerable groups, constantly lit fires in temples, protecting them from the cold. Religious lessons were also taught around the fire. onsequently, fire temples served not only as a religious institutionbut also as a spiritualand social institution [10, -P. 31]. Fire held special significance in Zoroastrian rituals. Fire manifested itself in various forms: celestial fire, fire hidden in a tree,