Building will be inaugurated on March 26th.

AB Wire

Zoroastrians, or Zarathushtis as they are traditionally called, from the New York Tristate area, will come together to inaugurate a new religious and cultural center in Pomona, New York, on March 26. The new Arbab Rustam Guiv Dar-e-Mehr building is inspired by ancient Persian and Zoroastrian architecture of the fire temples of India.

Some 500 families in the area raised $5 million over a period of four years to build a home for future generations, according to a press release. There are about 1,000 Zoroastrians in the area.

The Zoroastrian Association of Greater New York (ZAGNY), the Iranian Zoroastrian Association (IZA), and the Dar-e-Mehr Zoroastrian Temple (DMZT) will host the event. The inauguration is scheduled to coincide with the week of Navroze, the start of the Persian new year, and March 26th coincides with the birthday of the Prophet Zarathustra.

Considered one of the oldest religions, Zoroastrianism once widely followed in ancient Persia, found a home in India when followers had to flee religious persecution. The tristate community prides itself on being able to maintain their cohesiveness, and follow the basic tenets of their religion attributed to Prophet Zarathushtra 3,000 years ago, said the release.

Zoroastrians have made an outsize contribution to India’s growth in contrast to their numbers, as leaders in business, film, science, education, national security and other fields.