Zoroastrians’ Role in founding new schools and changing the training system in Yazd

Subject Areas : Epistemological and methodological researcher of historical research

لقمان Dehghan nayeri ¹ , اصغر Zarnegar ²

1 - استاد دانشگاه اصفهان
2 - دانشجوی دکترای دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی واحد نجف آباد

Received: 2016-11-19 Accepted : 2016-11-19 Published : 2011-10-23

Keywords: Zoroastrians, training of new sciences, education reform,

Abstract :

With the overcoming of Muslims over Sassanids, Zoroastrians were not under pressure until the first two or three centuries. However, from that time they faced privation and more pressure. Especially, during Safavid era, severe religious prejudice was prevalent. Up to Qajar era zoroastrians training in fire temples were done by zoroastrian priests and their traditional training that was more promotion of the religion. The teaching centers were like Islamic traditional  schools. The change in the training system and  founding of new schools and universities in Europe, which led  to scientific and  industrial  progress, forced Iranian to consider a similar change in Qajar era. The first forerunners were zoroastrians who with having relationship with Europe and  India thought  to found new schools in Iran. In addition the Iranian zoroastrians  residing in India started  activities to improve Iranian zoroastrians condition, so they sent representatives to Iran and  supported  teachers by cultural and   financial aids for teaching in new schools and  founding the first new schools in Iran particular in Yazd  province.