| Cypress of Kashmar | |
|---|---|
| Species | Cypress |
| Location |  Iran,Kashmar |
| Date felled | c. 10 December 861 |
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TheCypress of Kashmar was acypress tree regarded as sacred to followers ofZoroastrianism. According to theIranian epicShahnameh, the tree had grown from a branchZoroaster had carried away fromParadise and which he planted in honor of KingVishtaspa's conversion to Zoroastrianism inKashmarbalkh. The spreading branches of the tree are used as an allusion to the spread of Zoroaster's creed.
On 10 December 861 AD,Abbasid caliphal-Mutawakkil, unable or unwilling to leave Baghdad, ordered the tree be felled and transported to his capital, so that carpenters might reassemble it for him. The villagers who lived near the tree pleaded with thecaliph and offered money for its protection, to no avail. Al-Mutawakkil was murdered before the 1,300 camels carrying the cypress pieces reached Baghdad.[1]
The palace and its spiral minaret still stand today.[2][3]
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