‘The Everlasting Flame: Zoroastrianism in History & Imagination’ Exhibition at SOAS

The Everlasting Flame: Zoroastrianism in History and Imagination — exhibition held from 11th October 2013 to 14th December 2013, in the Brunei Gallery, SOAS, London.

‘One of the world’s oldest religions, Zoroastrianism originated amongst Iranian tribes in Central Asia during the second millennium BCE and spread to Iran where it became the principal faith until the advent of Islam. Central to the religion is the belief in a sole creator god, Ahura Mazda, his emissary Zarathustra (Zoroaster) and the dichotomy between good and evil.

The Everlasting Flame: Zoroastrianism in History and Imagination is the first exhibition of its kind to provide a visual narrative of the history of Zoroastrianism, its rich cultural heritage and the influence it has had on the major world religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

The exhibition takes you on a journey from the earliest days of the religion to its emergence as the foremost religion of the Achaemenid, Parthian and Sasanian empires of imperial Iran.

A fascinating and diverse collection of artefacts, texts, paintings and textiles are displayed alongside spectacular installations that include a walk-in fire temple and a ten-metre glass etching based on the cast of the western staircase from the palace of Darius at Persepolis in the British Museum.’

For further information follow this link to the exhibition website.  In addition, The British Library’s Asian and African Studies blog features related posts about ‘The Everlasting Flame‘ exhibition and ‘Zoroaster’s Egg‘ (Ovum Zoroastræum).