From the Ishtar Goddess to the Tomb of Pir-e Estir in Greater Khorasan with an Ethnographic Approach

In the light of the history of the ancient religious beliefs of the indigenous peoples of the Iranian plateau, and especially of the eastern lands, the effects of the Mesopotamian religions have remained somewhat obscure. One of the examples that can be mentioned is the influence of the Ishtar goddess in Greater Khorasan, which is manifested in the tomb of Estir on the desert shore. This Article is based on signs; Small but solid signs that, with proper placement, give a relatively clear picture of the presence of the Babylonian Ishtar goddess in the heart of Khorasan. Statements such as Star etymology, the gender of the pilgrims, and others reveal Piere Estir's conformity to Ishtar. The method of the present study is based on ethnographic approach using library resources and field observation simultaneously. This study shows that Piere Estir, according to the existing propositions, is the Babylonian goddess who settled in this land and continued to live in the Islamic form until the contemporary period and has been transmuted.