TEHRAN - Arg-e Karim Khan, the iconic citadel in Shiraz, has commenced an international mourning heritage festival, a four-night event celebrating global mourning rituals. 

The four-night festival began yesterday evening and will continue in the citadel’s outer courtyard until the end of the week.
On Monday, Mohammad Sabeteqlidi, the Fars province's tourism chief, said the festival features a diverse lineup of performances from six national and international ritual groups each night. 

The opening night showcased performances by groups from India and various Iranian provinces, including Fars and Khuzestan, drawing a large and appreciative audience.

Sabeteqlidi explained that the festival’s focus is on both tangible and intangible mourning traditions. "Every night, we present six groups, both local and international, performing various mourning rituals," he said. 

"Last night's performances included traditional acts from India and notable Iranian contributions such as the Chack Chacko troupe from Estahban and the Shiraz Philharmonic Orchestra."

The official noted that the event met with widespread enthusiasm, highlighting the cultural richness and diversity of mourning practices. 

"Over the four nights, 24 national ritual groups from provinces including Khorasan, Hormozgan, Khuzestan, Fars, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Kurdistan, Mazandaran, and Yazd will perform."

He underlined that the international mourning heritage festival aims to foster cultural exchange and provide a platform for sharing and appreciating mourning rituals from around the world.

The festival was launched on the eve of the 28th of Safar, the second month of the lunar Hijri calendar, which is a deeply significant day of mourning for Muslims, marking the anniversary of the passing of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the martyrdom of Imam Hassan (AS), the second Shia Imam. 

Arg-e Karim Khan is an immense brick fortress that has dominated the southern city of Shiraz since the 18th century. Part of a historical complex, the Arg is named after the founder of Zand Dynasty Mohammad Karim Khan Zand who ruled Iran from 1751 to 1779 and selected Shiraz as his capital. 

The massive walls of the citadel feature ornamental brickwork designs in particular on the four circular tower-like structures punctuating each of its corners.

However, the southeastern tower generally catches the eyes of the passersby due to its noticeable lean, having subsided into a concealed cistern which once supplied the bathhouse of the Arg.

Walking inside, one encounters a typical design of the Persian garden that interweaves different fields of knowledge such as water management and engineering, architecture, botany and agriculture.

The citadel was used to be a prison for a while in the 20th century, however the then Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Organization turned it into a museum showcasing aspects of Zand-era Iran.

AM