Ta’ziye is a kind of religious theater about the karbala event. The word Ta’ziye means mourning. The main name of Ta’ziye is Shabih khaki or Shabih gardani. Shabih in Persian is similar and Shabih khani's performers or actors play similar roles of main characters of karbala. Ta’ziye or shabih khani is the traditional form ofritual and religious performances based on historical epics and sad events of Karbala about martyrdom of Imam hussein and his companions and also the sufferings of the prophet Mohammad's family peace be upon him.
Ta'ziye is a ritual art, a performance with mythological and historical specifications. The exact date and origin of Ta'ziye is not available. Some experts believe that the formation of this ritual show goes back to, the three-thousand-year pre Islamic history of Siavash mourning, the hero of Iran's national stories.
According to many experts, Taziyie apart from its similarities with old mourning rituals is another form of Shiite mourning during the first centuries for the martyrs of Karbala. People used different arts to mourn,Taziye or Shabih khani was one of them. Taziyes were performed in different ways and had various forms as well as specific names. There were two types of Ta'zies.First , Feminine Ta'ziye which was performed by women for the female spectators following the commemoration of the martyrs of karbala and second, Ridiculous taziye that was performed with humor, sarcasm and curses which addressed the oppressors. Among; Other types were also appeared in mourning, which were called manaqeb-khani and parde-khani, and they were performed in a kind of religious narration.
Ta'ziyes that are performed in large places with symbolic stage arrangements and a large number of actors are called ta'ziye Meydani. Taziye actors must have special characteristics to play in Taziye. For example, Shemarkhan, as one of the opponents, must physically have an unsightly rough bodyshape, who plays in Ta'ziyeh with a grimace face and harsh voice, but on the other hand the Imam`s character has a beautiful face and a pleasant voice.
They are chosen from professionals and .protagonists. Taziye is full of debates,brags,poetry readings and singing paeans. Singing paeans refer to a talk of honors and lineage when the family of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) faced their opponents, who are called Ashqiya. Oshtolomkhani refers to a state when the enemies express their conversations with an exaggerated form of speaking and singing, while the family of prophet Muhammad convey their words to the audience with a pleasant voice. The Olia khans, a group of performers who act out as holy charecters,sing some of the poems related to their role in one of the Iranian musical system in persian traditional music, called dastgah, and in the meantime, music plays a major role in creating the excitement and emotions in dramatic scenes. For example, the tragic sound of a musical instrument called Ney is used for the moments of farewell and loneliness of prophet Muhammad`s family, and the loud sound of the Karna instrument is used for the gathering of the actors on the stage. The sound of Dohol was for changing the scenes and when the drums and trumpets were played, the actors realized that it was the time of war.
Unfortunately, nowadays, live music does not play a significant role in Taziye, and we mostly see the playing of produced music in Shabihkhani ceremonies. Ta'ziye is a mythological art filled with many symbols and signs. For example, a water pan and a few plant branches are reminiscent of the Euphrates River and Nakhlestan,the palm grove. The long green robe represents Imams. Putting on a long white shirt is a sign of approaching death and declaring their lives devotion. Wearing a white shirt over a green dress along with armor and helmet during the battle on the stage is a sign of war, and wearing a black shirt and covering the face so that only the actor's eyes are out of it, is a sign of a woman or women who were present at the Karbala event. The Red dress and boots with raised bloody sleeves refer to Shemr or one of the killers and the enemies of Imams.
Turban and Terme robe made of expensive fabrics represents caliphs and tyrannical rulers. Turning around the scene indicates a long journey. Walking slowly or galloping on a horse is a sign of going from one place to another, and turning around shows a change of place. The riderless white horse represents the horse of Imam Hussain named zul-Janah, whose owner was martyred. The red dyed cradle represents the martyrdom of Hazrat Ali Asghar , the infant of Imam Hussein in the incident of Karbala.
Spreading straw over the head is a sign of mourning. The occasional use of pigeons or white doves is to inform the audience of receiving news or letters, and also expresses innocence and sympathy. The women in palanquins is a sign of their captivity by the enemies. Performing on the pulpit represents the famous holy characters. The size and smallness of the stools on which the holy characters stand to play their roles determine their ranks, and looking through the two fingers now and then shows their ability to visualize the situation and to predict the future.
People who play these roles have special titles in Ta'ziye:
For example, Taziye director is called Moin Al-Boka and Taziye actor is called Shabih.
Nazem al-Boka is the assistant director of Taziye.
Bani is the investor and producer of Taziye.
Movafegh Khan is an actor who plays the role of prophets, imams and positive people.
Mokhalef Khan's or opponent is an actor who plays the role of enemies of imams and negative people.
Takht Khan is an actor who plays the role of Yazid on the throne.
Bachekhan is an actor who plays the role of a child.
Zanane khan or female singer is an actor who plays the role of a woman.
Maghtalnevis is the author of the play script in Ta'ziye, and the text itself calles Fard.
Taziye is the reminiscent of a type of Iranian dramatic literature that has signs of post-modern theater and has unique features in the style of performance. For example, spacing in Ta'ziye is a function to think about an event or an incident. Distancing or alienation, which is the basis of epic theater, is created from the actions or reactions of the actors with the actors of the show in order to prevent the audience from identifying the characters of the story and emotional conflict with the events, and to make everyone believe that what is happening on the stage is real. The technique of spacing or alienation in ta'ziye is different from spacing in epic theater. The difference is between the purpose and the meaning of the form. Taziye actors, like epic theater actors, never consider themselves same as the role they are performing. Actors of Taziye or Shabihkhanies singers; do not consider themselves to be deserved for the role of holy people and to be proud of it, and they also are not ashamed of playing the roles of enemies of Imam.
Iranians have always followed the tradition of ancestral ritual performances in the representation of religious events, and have benefited from the performing methods of rituals and some of the mythological and epic elements which have been the creator of ritual performances. In the meantime, Zanjan has numerous ta'ziye that have been performed by religious founders and veterans of ta'ziye over time; It has a significant contribution in preserving and keeping this ritual art alive. Zanjan's ta'ziye is in Turkish and after years, many old versions of ta'zih that have been passed down from one generation to another are still available and performers and veterans of ta'ziye are trying to preserve and perform this dramatic art with the originality of the past. Zanjani`s mourn for the martyrs of Karbala incident is on the arrival of the Muharram month every year held by setting up mourning groups and magnificent recitations in religious places and streets. People furnish mosques and takaya with beautiful and clean carpets, and the walls and pulpits of religious places are covered in black, and the actors are imitated in predetermined places. The performance is on a daily basis and Every single day has its own taziye.
It is time for the Taziye ceremony to begin. From two different sides, men and women gather around the performance stage and watch ta'ziye. This ceremony will continue for ten days, and each day has its own Ta'ziye that must be narrated. They recite Ta'ziye so that the philosophy and truth of the Karbala incident becomes clear. Actors perform their roles in the right order and from the old writings they have in their hands which are called Noskhe, and they are written with great care and research. They have learned and inherited this art over time and step by step from Moin al-Boka's or from their families. This historical process has continued in Zanjan since late and until now, the ceremony of reciting ta'zieh is one of the most watched ceremonies, ritual arts and performances in all over Iran.
For Iranians who have converted to Shiism, the Karbala event is the source of beauty and inspiration in the creation of literature and other visual and performing arts. A creation of beauty that manifests itself as a religious drama or just a play was registered in the UNESCO Intangible Heritage List in the name of Iran in 2010.The name of this heritage; is TA’ZIYE.
This article was contributed by Mr. Akbar Karimi, the Founder and Managing Director of the "Samte Ganjineye Ghoghnoos" Cultural-Artistic Institute in Iran. In addition to his leadership role in preserving and promoting Iranian intangible cultural heritage, his extensive experience in cultural research, performing arts, and his active participation in international forums such as UNESCO and ICCN enrich his contributions to the global cultural dialogue.
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