WI: Make zoroastrianism survive in a majority region

Anawrahta

Banned
With a POD after 1000 AD, make zoroastrianism survive as a peripheral majority region.
Here are some ideas:
Badakshan: very isolated, very heterodox, very unusual people and language.
Nuristan: same as above
Mazanderan, Gilan, azerbaijan: very peripheral, kind of heterodox
Dagestan, Chechnya, Circassia: extremely isolated, very backwater, very obscure. Heavy sassanid presense
Zanzibar: went zoroastrian otl, perhaps they continue
Fars: Maybe they pull a frataraka
Kurdistan: Kind of like Yazidis
 

Anawrahta

Banned
Bumpity bump? No one interested? Is zoroastrianism really that destined to be conquered by another religion?
 
Well, here are the excerpts from my Alternate History files:

ZP-2: Peroz III holds off a Caliphal invasion of Afghanistan and establishes an independent state in the mountains.
ZP-3: Yazdegard III and his court flee to Ormuz and establish an independent Shahdom on the archipelago, but a combination of the islands' general uselessness, the difficulty of navigating the currents on the Iranian shore and the lack of an Arab fleet discourages the Caliphs from storming the islands.
ZT-1: The Seljuks convert to Zoroastrianism. Clear enough
BS-29: Heraklios surrenders in 622 in exchange for retention of Egypt. The Persians are able to crush the Arab invasions, and the Romans slowly roll them back.

That Good?
 
With a POD after 1000 AD, make zoroastrianism survive as a peripheral majority region.
Here are some ideas:
Badakshan: very isolated, very heterodox, very unusual people and language.
Nuristan: same as above
Mazanderan, Gilan, azerbaijan: very peripheral, kind of heterodox
Dagestan, Chechnya, Circassia: extremely isolated, very backwater, very obscure. Heavy sassanid presense
Zanzibar: went zoroastrian otl, perhaps they continue
Fars: Maybe they pull a frataraka
Kurdistan: Kind of like Yazidis
I believe Kerman, Yazd, Tabarestan could be rather easy. The Caspian coast might be a refuge for Zoroastrian s
 
Pamir, Tajikistan etc seems isolated enough to keep a majority. Mazandaran could as well but is too exposed to the Muslims. Maybe if the Muslim Invasion halted before crossing the Zagros Mountains you'd have enough land.
 

Anawrahta

Banned
I believe Kerman, Yazd, Tabarestan could be rather easy. The Caspian coast might be a refuge for Zoroastrian s

Kerman and yazd were centres of zoroastrianism, but are too exposed for preservation against hardline elements.It would be a center but would have muslim majority. Tabarestan and the caspian coast seem doable. Perhaps the Dabuyids, Qarinvand, or Ziyarid survive and establish a long lived zoroastrian prinicipality here. It could become a zoroastrian georgia or armenia. Iranian paganism may still be vibrant religion today as it was the last refugium for it.
It seems to early for the POD though.
 

Anawrahta

Banned
Well, here are the excerpts from my Alternate History files:

ZP-2: Peroz III holds off a Caliphal invasion of Afghanistan and establishes an independent state in the mountains.
ZP-3: Yazdegard III and his court flee to Ormuz and establish an independent Shahdom on the archipelago, but a combination of the islands' general uselessness, the difficulty of navigating the currents on the Iranian shore and the lack of an Arab fleet discourages the Caliphs from storming the islands.
ZT-1: The Seljuks convert to Zoroastrianism. Clear enough
BS-29: Heraklios surrenders in 622 in exchange for retention of Egypt. The Persians are able to crush the Arab invasions, and the Romans slowly roll them back.

That Good?
1. He would most likely cooperate with the Turgesh, Sogdians, Bactrian-Hepthalite princes, Kabul Shahi and Zunbils to pull this off. The solution would be united front that was very much lacking in otl. The Sassanids may drop persian in favor of bactrian, sogdian, turkic, or an indian language.
2 They would have to deal with the bazrangids(bajrangi)
3 This would need no samanids and no muslim karakhanids and ghaznavids.
4 idk about this one.
These PODs are quite plausible but they are too early before 1000 AD. I'm wondering if any refugia could develop after 1000 AD and be zoroastrian dominant.
 

Anawrahta

Banned
Pamir, Tajikistan etc seems isolated enough to keep a majority. Mazandaran could as well but is too exposed to the Muslims. Maybe if the Muslim Invasion halted before crossing the Zagros Mountains you'd have enough land.
Badakhshan and pamirs were non-muslim even by 1000 AD, until Nizari Ismaili missionaries converted the region to their faith in the 11-14th century . Some chinese archaeologists discovered zoroastrian tombs in the tashkurgan so the religion had a presence here. May be zoroastrians fleeing the samanid government settle here and make badakhshan a centre of zoroastrian as the nizari ismailis did otl. These civilized arrivals could provide impetus for greater native societal development and indigenous state building that the region lacked OTL.
 
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