TEHRAN -- For over 100 years, the city of Shush in Khuzestan Province has staged the largest open-air performances of the Iranian passion play tazieh.

Almost 800 actors and extras perform tazieh called “shabih” by the locals on Tasu’a, the ninth day of the lunar month of Muharram, one day before Ashura, the day upon which Imam Hussein (AS) was martyred, director of Shush Cultural Heritage Enthusiasts’ Society Ali Monji told the Persian service of CHN.
On the evening of Tasu’a and in the morning of Ashura, the city holds the largest tazieh performances. “Parts of the performance on Tasu’a are recited in Arabic and on Ashura, it symbolically begins with the entrance of the caravan of Imam Hussein (AS) and continues for a few hours until afternoon,” he added.
Over the past few years, in some districts, several ritual ceremonies continue a few days after Ashura, Monji added.
Other noteworthy rituals in the city are performed by Iranian nationals that were once living in Iraq but were forced to return home during the Iran-Iraq war some of whom were situated in Shush and brought Iraqi rituals with them to the city, he said.
Hassan Purhemmat who plays the role of Hazrat Abolfazl, the brother of Imam Hussein (AS) in tazieh, says that the main tazieh performance begins at 7 in the morning on Ashura and continues until 2 or 3 in the afternoon in which different roles are performed and the texts are recited in different dastgahs.
The total collection of more than 200 gushehs (traditional melodic motifs) in all 12 dastgahs is known as the radif.
“In this tazieh, the major events of Karbala are narrated, the tents are set up, and over one hundred horses are used. The actors perform their roles with sincerity and no one gets paid for it,” he added.
Tazieh appeared on UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity last November.
The Iranian passion play tazieh recounts religious events, historical and mythical stories and folk tales. Each performance has the four components of poetry, music, song and motion.
Performers are always male, and female roles are played by men, most of whom are amateurs who make their living through other means but perform for spiritual rewards.
Photo: The Shush troupe performs a tazieh in an undated photo.