Sasanian Zoroastrian Priesthood System

Timeline

1. 501–531Iranian plateau · PersiaFrom the 3rd century onward, Sasanian emperors established Zoroastrianism as the state religion; the priestly estate (magi) managed fire temple worship, funerary rites, and some judicial consultation, forming a hierarchy of local priests and regional chief priests, though the codification of the priestly hierarchy was not yet complete.
2. 531–579Ctesiphon · Sasanian PersiaKhosrow I (Anoshirvan) strengthened priestly ranks in his court and religious reforms, establishing the mōbedān mōbed (chief priest) as national religious leader, organizing Avestan transmission and hierarchical ritual; fire temples (ātašgāh) were funded by the state and nobility, and the priestly system became more closely linked to imperial administration, tax law, and military mobilization.
3. 590–600Persian Empire · Sasanian PersiaThe civil war between Khosrow II and Bahram Chobin (590–591) and subsequent wars with Byzantine drained state resources; the priestly estate's political influence fluctuated amid dynastic changes, and some fire temples and religious properties were damaged, but the nationwide priestly network and state religion status were maintained at the end of the 6th century, until gradually dissolving after the Islamic conquest in the 7th century.