The Study of Historical Foundations of Religious Play in Iran

Abstract

Religious play is considered as one of the earliest cultural elements in the history of Iran. In the Shiite culture, the religious play or passion play-Ta’zieh is identified as one of the mourning ceremonies intended for the Lord of martyrs -Abi Abdullah ibn e- Hossein PBUH. Following the unjustly martyrdom of Imam Hossein, the Muslims particularly Shiites have made an effort to keep alive the philosophy of Imam Hossein’s uprising through holding mourning ceremonies. In this research, utilizing the descriptive-analytical method together with library sources, it is investigated the ancientness of religious play in Iran, the history of advent of Ta’zieh in Iran, the function of Takiyes as well as Hosseiniehs in the mourning days.

Keywords

• shiism
• mourning
• passion play-ta’zieh
• takiye
• hosseinieh