region south of the Aral lake. This leaves Ishkata () and Pouruta () to be identified. The place name Ishkata is mentioned several times in the Avesta. While in Yt. 193 and Yt. 10.11, Ishkata refers to a mountain in the Hindu Kush, the term in Yt. 11.14 has been interpreted as referring to the land dominated by this mountain. Ilya Gershevitch has, for instance, argued that it should be located in the upper Helmand plain close to the Koh-i-Baba. Pouruta on the other hand has been connected to the Parautoi mentioned by Ptolemy; a tribe that lived close to the Hindu Kush in the Ghor (, "mountain") region. Compared with the list in the Vendidad, a substantial overlap is visible. Overall, however, the area described is smaller. If Airyanem Vaejah can be located in Khwarazm, then the northern border of the two lists would coincide. Regardless, the area described in the Vendidad extends further east, south and, depending on the identification of some place names, west. The causes for this difference are not known but it may reflect Iranian/Zoroastrian movements over time. Fravardin Yasht The Fravardin Yasht is the longest of the Yashts and is dedicated to the veneration of the Fravashi, a unique Zoroastrian concept similar to and connected with the concept of the soul (). In Yt. 13.143-44, the Fravashi of the righteous living in the lands of five different peoples are praised: The Arya (, 'Iranians') are the main ethnic group mentioned in the Avesta, where they are typically equated with the Zoroastrian community in general. This ethnic epithet appears both in the Avesta as well as in early Iranian history as the self designation of the Iranian people. This interpretation is, however, context specific, since all people mentioned in the Avesta appear to be speakers of Iranian languages and would therefore be Iranian in a linguistic sense. Moreover, the term Arya () also appears in ancient India as the self-designation of the people of the Vedas. The Arya of the Vedas show many similarities with the Arya of the Avesta and must have formed a single people at one point. Their relationship at the time of the Avesta is, however, unknown. The Turya (, 'Turanians') are the second major ethnic group mentioned in the Avesta. They are commonly known as the Turanians from later Pahlavi sources as well as Iranian legend. While some Turanians in