The Origin of Sacred Trees; A Case Study of Sacred Trees in Iran

Based on the research, belief in sacred trees can be found in various forms around the world and for a variety of reasons. In Iranian popular culture, some plants and trees have been given special power, properties and sanctity. There are few places in Iran that do not have a sample of respected trees. These different trees are generally believed to have relatively similar characteristics, including, prohibition of cutting, prohibition of breaking their branches that may cause destruction or serious damage to one who does so. According to popular belief, these trees meet the needs of the needy and are effective in repelling some diseases and evil eye. The results show that, in general, belief in sacred trees is different in theistic and atheistic religions. Among Muslims, the sanctity of certain trees is mostly related to the manifestation of God and the position of the pure souls of saints and mystics, or to their tombs, or to the deeds and life events of prophets and religious leaders, but in atheistic religions, the sanctity of trees is reduced to the status of spirits and goddesses and in practice to the level of magic and spell. Using written sources and descriptive-analytical method, this research has been done.