Kashan Shenasi

Kashan Shenasi

An Analysis of Ta’ziyyah Majlis of Imamzadeh Sultan Ali ibn Muhammad Baqir (AS)

Document Type : Scientific-Promotional

Author
Mohammad Khodadad Noushabadi
PhD Graduated in Persian Language and Literature, Researcher of Ritual and Popular Culture, University of Kashan, Iran
10.22052/kashan.2026.258515.1162
Abstract
Although Taʿziyeh is an art form originating in the context of Ashura, it has not remained confined to its historical framework. Rather, within the context of popular culture and literature, and drawing upon the diversity of the tastes of manuscript writers as well as the preferences and demands of society, it has entered numerous historical, religious, cultural, mythological, mystical, and other domains. Consequently, the number of Taʿziyeh manuscripts and subjects has grown to several hundred performances. Among the themes of this popular artistic treasury are narratives concerning the lives of the descendants of the Imams in various regions of Iran. Among them, Imamzadeh Sultan Ali ibn Muhammad Baqir (peace be upon him), buried in Ardehal, Kashan, is the most important Imamzadeh in this region and is among the descendants of the Imams who have received particular attention and devotion from both the elite and the general populace in Iran. This study examines the Taʿziyeh manuscript of Sultan Ali (peace be upon him), composed by Mir-Ezā of Kashan, and investigates the particular sanctity attributed to the land of Ardehal, the similarities between the Ardehal incident and the event of Ashura, the textual analysis of the Sultan Ali Taʿziyeh manuscript, and certain characteristics of this Taʿziyeh. It seeks to demonstrate the reasons for the connection and dependence of the Sultan Ali Taʿziyeh script on Iranian and mythological motifs and ultimately aims to answer these questions: to what extent this Taʿziyeh performance draws upon the narratives found in biographical and hagiographical sources and to what extent it is created by Taʿziyeh manuscript writers? And does this performance have connections with other Taʿziyeh performances, particularly those concerning Imamzadehs? This study is a library-based research.

Keywords
Taʿziyeh
popular Literature
Imamzadehs
Sultan Ali ibn Muhammad Baqir (peace be upon him)
Ardehal
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Kashan Shenasi
Volume 18, Issue 2 - Serial Number 35
35
March 2026
Pages 155-183