Monastic religion of Persia

Answer 1

The ancient Iranians separated from the Indo-Aryan branch around 4,700 years ago. Since then, they followed a religion similar to Hinduism, with gods that could find parallels in the Hindu pantheon as well as divinities that were proper to the Irnaians alone.

The ancient Iranians who lived on the steppes of Central Asia followed a set of beliefs that incorporated various deities such as Mitra (Mithra or Mehr), Varuna, Verethragna (victory), Hvar Kshaethra (sun), Vayu (wind) etc... mostly nature deities but also anthropomorphic gods, that had human qualities of bravery, piety, compassion and daring.

The prophet Zarathushtra (Zoroaster) preached between 3,100 and 3,400 years ago, amongst the Bronze Age Iranians (who lived from the western regions of China to the plains of Moldova) of the east, in the Kingdom of Bactira, that covered eastern Iran, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, parts of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. The first convert was Kavi Vishtaspa, a king of the Kayanid dynasty (Bronze Age to Iron Age?) who championed Zoroaster's cause and helped spread the new religion throughout his Kingdom.

While some Zoroastrians and scholars see him as an innovators who created a new religious system, many others however believed that he merely reformed the old Aryan pantheon and modified the already existing Mazdean religion into a belief that disfavor the anthropomorphic gods or Daevas in favor of the Asuras, while India did the exact opposite.

Though some argue in favor of the first monotheism, Zoroastrian developed from an early date an ambiguous belief system that prior to its canonisation could be interpreted at times as monotheistic, dualistic, or even pantheistic with arguments in favor of all three continuing to this day.

The Mede Kingdom (625-549 BC) supplanted the Kayanids and it is believed that the rulers and much of the populace followed a localized form of Zoroastrianism, judging by names of people and rulers as well as the importance of the city of Ray near modern Tehran among Zoroastrian pilgrims and travellers spreading the faith westwards.

Contrary to popular belief, the Arsacid Parthians/Scythians were not purely Mithraic nor were they indifferent to religion as it was during the reign of King Balash or Valash (51-80) that Zoroastrian priests were ordered to compile Avestan religious and liturgy traditions into texts. While the early Parthians were no doubt sympathetic to the ecult of Mithra, the late Arsacids no doubt followed Zoroastrianism, at least under its contemporary form mixed with ancient Mazden beliefs.

The Sassanians revived the Zoroastrian religion under various forms including its dualistic and Zurvanist forms, and for a short time, under the Mazdakite form.

Zoroastrianism was once practiced widely from western China and the Tarim basin, the cities of Kasghar and Hotan to modern day Turkey and beyond.

In late Sassanian times, Christianity and Manicheism made many inroads into the Persian Empire, gaining many followers, including among influential people such as nobles and priests though such conversions were viewed with disfavor.

The collapse of the Sassanian Empire between 633 to 651 brought Islam to what had been Persian lands from Yemen and Oman to Pakistan and Turkmenistan. Zoroastrianism remained the religion of the majority of Iranians however, according to Jamshid Choksy, at least till the 11th century when Islam became the majority religion until today. Since 1935, a greatly shrunken core of what was Persia has become Iran.

Answer 2

Historically, the religion of Persia was Zoroastrianism. After the Islamic conquest, Zoroastrianism remained the dominant religion for a few centuries before Islam became dominant. Today, Iran is overwhelmingly Muslim, and specifically Shiite Muslim of the Twelver Ja'afari Schoool. Of course, there have always been minority religions in Iran, such as Judaism, Christianity, Mandeanism, Yazdanism (in all of its forms), and Hinduism.

Answer 3

Zoroastrianism.

Answer 4

Islam is the religion of Persia now