Kartir's Fire Altars: How a Priest Forged Zoroastrian Orthodoxy

In the third century CE, a powerful Zoroastrian priest named Kartir rose from humble origins to become the chief architect of Sasanian religious orthodoxy. His inscriptions at Naqsh-e Rostam and elsewhere document a systematic campaign to suppress rival faiths — Manichaeism, Christianity, Judaism, and Buddhism — while consolidating the authority of the magi and codifying the Avesta. But Kartir's legacy is deeply controversial: did he purify the faith or crush dissent in service of empire? This episode examines the fire altars, the inscriptions, and the priest who left an indelible mark on Iranian identity. #Kartir #NaqsheRostam #SasanianEmpire #Zoroastrianism #Mobad #FireAltar #Manichaeism #Avesta #Denkard #Xwedodah #ThirdCentury #PersianEmpire #ReligiousHistory #Inscriptions #AncientIran #History #FexingoHistory #WorldHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo