Yazd Tower of Silence

The Yazd Tower of Silence (Persian: برج خاموشان یزد) or the Yazd Dakhma (Persian: دخمه یزد) is a Zoroastrian tower of silence 15 kilometres south east of Yazd, Iran.

Use
Zoroastrians believe that earth, fire and water are all holy elements, and thus do not pollute them by burying, burning or placing their dead in water. Instead, they place their dead on a tower of silence, letting vultures consume the corpses. In the middle of the tower is a pit known as Ostudan (Persian: استودان) where the remaining bones are placed after they are stripped of the flesh.

History
This practice, however, has been banned in Iran since 1966–1967, and subsequently no bodies have been placed in this tower of silence.

It is included in the list of national heritage sites of Iran with the number 6312.