Encyclopedia of Zoroastrianism. Atash Behram.

The consecration of an Atash Behram, Zoroastrianism’s holiest fire, is a meticulous, year-long ritual that transforms ordinary flames into a sacred embodiment of Ahura Mazda’s purity and power. This process, rooted in ancient tradition, involves gathering and purifying fire from 16 distinct sources, each representing a facet of human life and nature, before uniting them into one eternal flame.

It starts with collecting embers from diverse origins: a cremation pyre, a shepherd’s hearth, a potter’s kiln, a goldsmith’s forge, a lightning strike, and others—16 in total, symbolizing universality. Each source is kindled separately, and priests (mobeds) perform exhaustive purification rites. For instance, the cremation fire requires burning sandalwood over the embers 91 times, transferring the flame through sieves to cleanse it of impurity. Other sources, like a tradesman’s fire, undergo similar cycles—sometimes 30 to 50 purifications—each accompanied by ceaseless recitation of the Yasna, a liturgical text from the Avesta.

Up to 32 priests may participate, working in shifts, as the process can involve over 1,000 individual rituals. Once purified, the 16 flames are ceremonially merged into a single fire on a silver urn, fed with sandalwood, and enthroned in the Atash Behram temple. This consecrated blaze, now divine, burns forever, tended with reverence.