Pir-e Narestaneh, also spelled Pir-e Narestuneh or Pi-e Narestan, is the only shrine with a possible connection to a male member of the royal family, prince Ardeshir, son of the last Sassanian king Yazdegird III and queen Hastbadan. The pir is in the Kharuna mountains (or Kuh-e Kharuneh), about twenty-five kilometers northeast of Yazd city. The word Narestuneh is thought by some to meaning tane-naresh or body of well-wishers.
The legend of Pir-e Narestaneh is that on Daep Adar day in the month of Esfand, the prince while fleeing rode up into the mountains, and there the Arabs surrounded him. He prayed for assistance and simply vanished just as he was about to be seized. Years later a hunter was chasing a deer which led the hunter to the spot where the prince had vanished. When the deer reached the spot, to the amazement of the hunter, it transformed itself into a young and handsome man of princely bearings. The apparition welcomed the hunter to his home and bid him to build a place of remembrance least people forget. The hunter did the prince’s bidding and was rewarded with many a boon.
