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Azerbaijan's Mount Sabalan/ Savalan (Sebīlān) where Zoroaster
(Zarathushtra) Communed with God?
by Mahir Khalifa-zadeh*
Created: January 01, 2025
Online version: https://www.azglobalcontext.org/2025/01/azerbaijans-mount-sabalan-savalan.html
Mount Sabalan (Azerbaijani Turkish: Savalan) where as per the tradition Zoroaster communed with God,
Ardabil county, Azerbaijan, Iran
Mount Sabalan/ Savalan/ Savellan (Pahlavi: Sebīlān, 4811 m) is located in Ardabil county of Azerbaijan
in Iran. The people of Azerbaijan also call Mount Soltan Savalan. They consider Savalan a holy
mountain.
Intriguingly, many researchers consider that Prophet Zoroaster (Avestan: Zaraθuštra, Greek:
Ζωροάστρης Zōroastrēs) first appeared in the west of Iran, either in Atropatene (Pahlavi: Ādurbādagān,
now Azerbaijan) or in Media.
Indeed, several sources place Zoroaster in Adarbījān or Media - Atropatene and even point to the town
of Urmia as Zoroaster's native place. The others even indicate that Zoroaster's father's house stood near
the river Darja/Darej (Pahlavi: Dāraja) that flows from Mount Savellan (Sebīlān) in Adarbījān
(Atropatene) into the river Aras (Araxes).
However, Arabic writer Kazwini associates Zoroaster with Shīz, the capital of Atropatene. Rawlinson
identifies Shīz with Takht-e Soleiman, holding one of three Great Fires of ancient Iran in Ādur Gušnasp
(now Azar Goshnasp) fire temple in Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan: History and Contemporary Politics
Azerbaijan in Global Context - Media and Analysis Center, Toronto, Canada www.azglobalcontext.org
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The passage from Kazwini (quoted from Rawlinson) reads: "In Shiz is the fire- temple of Azerekhsh
(Pahlavi: Ādur Gušnasp), the most celebrated of the Pyrsa of the Magi; in the days of the fire-worship,
the kings always came on foot, upon pilgrimage. The temple of Azerekhsh is ascribed to Zeratusht, the
founder of the Magian religion, who went, it is said from Shiz to the mountain of Sebīlān and, after
remaining there some time in retirement, returned with the Zend-Avesta, which, although written in the
Old Persian language, could not be understood without a commentary. After this he declared himself to
be a prophet."
In the meantime, Williams Jackson indicates that the Avesta mentions a hill by the river Darja where
Zoroaster communed with Ahura Mazdā. He argues that the hill (zbarah) or mountain (gairi) is Mount
Sebīlān. The Avesta's Darja River possibly, according to him, is the modern river Darya (?) which flows
from Mt. Sebīlān into the Aras River (Araxes).
Interestingly, the Avesta mentions 16 perfect lands (asah) and countries (šōiθra), which Ahura Mazdā
created for His people. Avestan Geography identifies Avesta's Iran Vej (Avestan: Ayriianəm Vaēǰah,
Pahlavi: Ērān-wēz, “the area of the Aryans”) with Atropatene [Azerbaijan].
Jackson writes that the Bundahish (Pahlavi: Bun-dahišn(īh), "Primal Creation", an encyclopedic
collection of beliefs about Zoroastrian cosmology) connects Iran Vej (the holy land of Zoroastrianism
where Zoroaster (Zarathushtra) was born and founded his religion there) directly with Atropatene:
"Aīrān vej pavan kōst-ī Atarō-pātakān".
However, James Darmesteter identifies the first province Airyanem Vaeja (Iran Vej), or Eranwej with
Arran (nowadays known as Karabagh, present-day Azerbaijan).
He translates the passage from Avesta Vendidat/Vidēvdād (Fargard 1) as the following: “Ahura Mazda
spake Zarathushtra, saying: The first of the good lands and countries which I, Ahura Mazda, created,
was the Airyana Vaeja, by the Vanguhi Daitya.” He comments that the river Vanguhi Daitya (Avestan:
Vaŋuhī Dāityā “the good Dāityā”) belongs to Arran and it should be the Aras River (Araxes).
Truly, the region of Arran is Arrān in Pahlavi or Albania in Latin. The Pahlavi and Sasanian books
introduced Airyanem Vaeja in around Azerbaijan. Some historians like James Darmesteter and Erns
Herzfeld believed that the location of Airyanem Vaeja is Azerbaijan and in around the Caucasus.
In the meantime, the Bundahish indicates that the river Darja/ Darej, near which stood the house of
Zoroaster's father had been in Iran Vej. In this regard, Jackson notes that the Bundahish likewise alludes
to Zoroaster's first offering worship in Iran Vej. He provides Darmesteter's translation of the passage
from the Avesta: "Zoroaster communed with Ahura Mazda on the high bank of the Darej, sitting (?)
before the good Ahura Mazda.. ."
Next, Jackson states that "With regard to localizations, there is good ground for believing that Airan Vej
(Avestan: Ayriianəm Vaēǰah) is to be identified in part at least with Ādarbaijān, and that the ancient river
Darej of the Avesta is identical with the modern Daryai. The Daryai Rūd flows from Mt. Savalān
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(Sebīlān), in Ādarbaijān, northward into the Aras River (Araxes)."
Intriguingly, Jackson provides importantly interesting details on Zoroaster's native place and his parents:
"Oriental tradition seems to be fairly correct in assigning, as his native land, the district of Atropatene or
Ādarbaijān, to the west of Media, or even more precisely the neighborhood about Lake Urumiah. There
is ground, furthermore, for believing in the tradition which says that his father was a native of
Ādarbaijān, - a region of naphtha wells and oil fountains, - and that Zoroaster's mother was from the
Median Ragha (Rai)."
He continues: "In the latter region probably Zoroaster was born and seems to have spent there the first
part of his life, probably by the river Darja. It was there his religious meditations began. That account
for his name being associated with all this territory Urmiah, Shīz, Mount Sebīlān."
Finally, Jackson concludes: "There is a great reason to believe that if, as seems most likely, Zoroaster
was born in Atropatene, he was drawn toward the important city of Ragha, somewhat perhaps as Christ
went to Jerusalem."
In Sum, Azerbaijan's Mount Savalan is one of the sacred places in Zoroastrianism where, according to
some sources, Prophet Zoroaster received a divine revelation. Nietzsche mentions that Prophet Zoroaster
ascended Mount Savalan.
Mahir Khalifa-zadeh, research professor, Ph.D, founder and director of the Toronto-based “Azerbaijan in Global
Context” Media and Analysis Center (www.azglobalcontext.org), member of the Canadian Historical Association, and
Canadian Political Science Association, Ottawa, Canada.
References:
A.V. Williams Jackson, "Zoroaster the Prophet of Ancient Iran", London 1899, 352, available at:
https://archive.org/details/cu31924022982502/page/n5/mode/2up
A.V.Williams Jackson, "Where Was Zoroaster's Native Place?", Journal of the American Oriental
Society, Vol 15, 1893, pp. 221-232, https://www.jstor.org/stable/592356
Friedrich Nietzsche, "Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A Book for Everyone and No One", Penguin Classics,
1961, 352
“Vendidad (Vidēvdād) or Laws against the Demons, Avesta - The Sacred Books of Zoroastrianism, Book
3” translated by James Darmesteter (From Sacred Books of the East), edited by Joseph H. Peterson,
American Edition, 1898, 192, Avesta.org publishing 1995, available at:
https://www.avesta.org/vendidad/vd_eng.pdf
“AVESTA: VENDIDAD (English): Fargard 1”, digital edition, prepared by Joseph H. Peterson, 1995,
https://www.avesta.org/vendidad/vd1sbe.htm
Roots Hount, Avestan Geography,
https://rootshunt.com/angirasgautam/sumeriancivilizationinfulenceonhinduism/assyria/whowereasurs/ave
stangeography/avestangeography.htm
Gnoli G., Avestan Geography, Encyclopedia Iranica, 2011, Vol. III, Fasc. 1, pp. 44-47, available at:
https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/avestan-geography