TEHRAN –The Rudaki Open-Air Theater in Tehran is planned to play host to performances of tazieh, Iranian passion play, during the first ten days of the lunar month of Muharram.

During the Muharram rituals, millions of Muslims commemorate the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (AS), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (S).

The Seyyed ush-Shohada Tazieh Group directed by Ahmad Azizi will begin their performances every night at 8.30 p.m. for ten nights. 

The group is scheduled to perform “Shah Cheragh (AS) Tazieh” on the first night on Wednesday.

The tazieh is about the martyrdom of Hazrat Ahmad ibn Musa (AS) who, along with his brothers, including Seyyed Alaeddin Hossein (AS), embarks on a journey to visit their brother, Imam Reza (AS), in the Khorasan region.

However, Fars ruler Qotlogh Khan is assigned by Abbasid caliph Mamun the task of stopping them. They all are killed in an intense battle with the ruler’s men.  

“Hazrat Muslim (AS) Tazieh” is another performance of the troupe. 

The tazieh portrays the journey of Muslim ibn Aqil al-Hashimi (AS), the messenger of Imam Hussein (AS), to Kufa a few days before the Ashura uprising that led to the martyrdom of the Imam and his companions in 680.

The story of the martyrdom of Muslim ibn Aqil’s sons, Muhammad and Ibrahim, is also scheduled to be staged. 

The story of Hurr ibn Riahi, one of Yazid’s commanders, who joined the troops of Imam Hussein (AS) on the eve of Ashura, is another highlight of the tazieh program, which has been organized by the Rudaki Foundation.

The tazieh troupe is composed of Masud Azizi, Milad Azizi, Amir Abbas Baqeri, Habib Maheri, Javad Judi, Amirali Rezai, Ebrahim Khodabandeh, Mahyar Mirnaqi, Hossein Hossein-Ali, Amir Ali Kaveh, Amir Ali Rezai and Parsa Hossein-Ali.

The Iranian passion play tazieh was registered on the UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in November 2010.

Tazieh represents religious events, historical and mythical stories and folk tales. Each performance has the four components of poetry, music, song and motion.

However, stories about the uprising of Imam Hussein (AS) and his companions against the oppressive Umayyad dynasty in 680 CE are more highly regarded by tazieh troupes and audiences.

Performers are always male, and female roles are played by men, most of whom are amateurs who gain their living through other means but perform for spiritual rewards.

It is a kind of drama that depicts the event of Ashura and is performed in Mahur, Chargah, and Shur Baghdad radifs of Iranian music.

It is based on the Ashura culture and the brave war and martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS). It is a religious play dated back to 9th-century dynamites and Buyids. However, Tazieh performance began during the Safavid era (1501-1736) and flourished during the Qajar era.

ABU/