TEHRAN-The veteran Iranian actor and Tazieh reciter Fathollah Taheri passed away on Friday, August 9, at the age of 73.

An experienced theater, cinema and television actor, Taheri was hospitalized in the intensive care unit since July 29 due to digestive disease. He died after 10 days due to his worsening condition, Mehr reported.

In addition to acting in various plays, movies and series, Taheri had 60 years of reciting Tazieh in his artistic career.

Tazieh in Iran designates a traditional religious theatrical genre, essentially commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Hossein (AS) and the passions of the Ahlulbeyt (members of the family of the Prophet of Islam). In this theatrical genre, the recitation of the lyrics, which are almost always in verse, takes precedence over the directing and the action.

Registered on UNESCO’s List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010, Tazieh is a kind of drama that recounts the brave war and martyrdom of the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and other incidents that occurred on Ashura, the day Imam Hussein (AS) and his 72 companions were martyred by the oppressive Umayyad dynasty in 680 CE. Tazieh performance began during the Safavid era (1501-1736) and flourished during the Qajar era (1794-1925).

He began reciting in Tazieh performances when he was a teenager. At the age of 20, he began playing in theatrical plays and 20 years later, he performed in his first movie.

Taheri’s most notable films include “Muhammad: The Messenger of God,” “Blockage,” and “Parviz”. He also performed in the series “Lily’s Turn,” “Siavash,” “Great Troubles,” “3 by 4,” and “The Accused Escaped” among others.

SS/