THE ZOROASTRIAN HERITAGE IN KARAKALPAKSTAN, ITS CULTURAL, HISTORICAL AND TOURISM SIGNIFICANCE

Chilpiq Qala, located in the Republic of Karakalpakstan, is not only an archaeological monument, but also one of the important sources of religious and spiritual thought of the ancient world. This monument, which is believed to date back to the end of the 1st millennium BC or the 1st centuries AD, with its shape, location and religious function, testifies to the deep roots of Zoroastrian culture in Central Asia. Chilpiq Qala is considered one of the places where the Zoroastrian ceremony of dakhma, that is, the transfer of the dead to heaven, was held. It is of particular importance as a historical and religious monument, having preserved the distinctive features of these ancient rituals.