HISTORY OF ZOROASTRIANISM IN CENTRAL ASIA

Abstract

Zoroastrianism is the national religion of the Persians, which originated in the vicinity of present-day Iran in the 6th century BCE. Because Persians also lived in Central Asia, we can consider that there is some connection between this region and Zoroastrianism. In addition to this, we should not think that Zoroastrianism is limited to the region where only Persians live. Because there have also been converts to Zoroastrianism among the Turks. Zoroastrianism is unquestionably the national religion. Therefore, the spread of Zoroastrianism among the Turks is interesting. A national religion should not extend beyond its own people. The Zoroastrians who migrated to India were called Parsis by the locals. This shows the integration of Zoroastrianism with the Persians. Questions arise regarding who among the Turks adopted Zoroastrianism. Today, we use concepts belonging to Zoroastrianism within our national and religious values. We also need to answer the question of how those concepts entered our language. Therefore, in this article, we will focus on the relationship between Zoroastrianism and the communities in Central Asia, and we will discuss its influence in the vicinity of Kyrgyzstan.