I blame Iccarus for this. I looked into it and apparently the whole thing gets weirder (assuming you choose to believe this source, which I'm not asserting is or isn't credible. Makes for a bizarre story either way)
http://anomalyinfo.com/Stories/2003-january-19-tower-silence
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The tower of Silence had bodies on it when the officials found it. However:
"None of the bodies depicted in the photograph were identified. Villagers from nearby, who were initially surprised at the sheer number of corpses in the dakhma, proved unable to recognize the bodies. The corpses also do not match the descriptions of the missing people."
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"There were no animals except for maggots and flies. Zoroastrians rely on birds such as buzzards to dispose of the bodies in the belief they are contributing back to the Earth. Officials found the corpses relatively untouched by any sort of animal."
(Cont)
"There is no official count of the bodies. In fact little work was actually accomplished at the site, and perhaps this is the reason only one photograph has emerged. Officials avoided the spot not only because they felt uneasy looking at it, but for the following as well:
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The deep pit in the center of the photograph was filled with several feet of festering blood. Far more than the bodies on the outside could ever supply. The stench was so unbearable many of the officials began to get nauseous when they first approached the dakhma. The expedition was ended when a villager accidentally kicked a small bone into the pit, penetrating the coagulated surface of the pool. A massive burst of gas from the decomposing blood erupted from the pit, splashing those looking into it, along with the photographer."
http://anomalyinfo.com/Stories/2003-january-19-tower-silence
`
`
The tower of Silence had bodies on it when the officials found it. However:
"None of the bodies depicted in the photograph were identified. Villagers from nearby, who were initially surprised at the sheer number of corpses in the dakhma, proved unable to recognize the bodies. The corpses also do not match the descriptions of the missing people."
`
"There were no animals except for maggots and flies. Zoroastrians rely on birds such as buzzards to dispose of the bodies in the belief they are contributing back to the Earth. Officials found the corpses relatively untouched by any sort of animal."
(Cont)
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The deep pit in the center of the photograph was filled with several feet of festering blood. Far more than the bodies on the outside could ever supply. The stench was so unbearable many of the officials began to get nauseous when they first approached the dakhma. The expedition was ended when a villager accidentally kicked a small bone into the pit, penetrating the coagulated surface of the pool. A massive burst of gas from the decomposing blood erupted from the pit, splashing those looking into it, along with the photographer."
Also, if the vultures won’t go near it? What the shit did you DO?!