Several cities across the country are playing host to performances of tazieh, Iranian passion play, during the first ten days of the lunar month of Muharram, which began on Wednesday.

Tazieh is based on the Ashura culture and the brave war and martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS). It is a religious play dated back to the 9th-century.

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.

Tazieh was registered on UNESCO’s List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in November 2010.

ABU/