Zoroastrianism is the religion ascribed to the teachings of the prophet Zoroaster. One of the world’s oldest religions; in Zoroastrianism, the purpose in life is to “be among those who renew the world… to make the world progress towards perfection”.

Where the fuck do they leave these decomposing bodies? Well of course Zoroastrians have an answer to that. The Tower of Silence was built to house these dead bodies, and I can tell you it’s pretty damn creepy.

A corpse is considered impure not just physically on account of infection and decay, but also because it is swiftly colonised by evil spirits. Therefore, cremation and burial on land or sea are unacceptable.

Each tower is handily divided into three rings. The outermost ring is for men, the second ring is for women, and the innermost ring is for children

Aside from the macabre imagery, this system of exposure known as dokhmenashini is swift and ecologically sound.

It’s also softened by mythology: the soul’s cosmic transition is aided by the vulture’s mystic eye, and the feeding of one’s dead body to the birds is considered the devout Zoroastrian’s final act of charity.

The bodies then remain there for about a year. Obviously during that time the corpses get pretty rotten in the sun, and get eaten away at by birds.

It might not be our way of doing things, but what makes this weirder than burning or burying your dead relatives?