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Intangible Cultural Heritages in Iran

Cultural heritage as defined by UNESCO encompasses a wide range of traditional practices, living customs and cultural beliefs that has long been practiced by the members of a community for a long time and handed down to us by our forefathers.  Having inscribed World Heritage Sites in order to preserve and maintain them, UNESCO embarked on preserving intangible cultural heritages that represent cultural diversity, before they disappear from the face of each society due to rapid globalization; as a result, UNESCO defined a broad category named intangible cultural heritage that consists of oral traditions, performing arts, traditional crafts, rituals and social practices. Being a rich country in terms of culture and civilization, Iran not only is home to many historical attractions with 26 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, but also has a long-held treasure of cultural diversity and beliefs with 22 UNESCO intangible cultural heritages.

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1. Radif of Persian Music

The first Iranian cultural heritage inscribed by UNESCO as an intangible heritage is Radif, which is a rich and worthwhile collection of old Persian melodies, inherited from our ancestors. These old melodies were preserved and then survived through oral practices from master to apprentice generation by generation and resulted in the rich music tradition in Iran. This Iranian music is closely interconnected with the rich history of Iran. As an ancient country, the traces of music can be found in ancient times; for instance, in the archeological site of Kul-e Fara in south of Iran, we can see some signs of Elamite musical instruments such as harps. This musical aptitude was long practiced among Iranians orally and was even spread to other countries. Being an oral art, these old melodies were never written till 19th century in Qajar period when expert musicians of time classified Iranian oral music, which resulted in a more systematic teaching and preserving this long-held art in Iran.

2. Unique art of Carpet Weaving in Kashan

Iran has long rejoiced in its reputation for finely-woven carpets, which reflect not only the Persian art but also Iranian identity. The origin of carpet weaving in Iran is known to no one; nonetheless, early humans needed some material to cover the floor and keep them protected from cold and dampness. Over time, this necessity turned to the fine art of weaving fabulous carpets.  Kashan is one of the cities in Iran with so many carpet-weaving workshops in which mostly women work and weave elegant carpets with world-known reputation; these women learned this unique skill from their mothers and grandmothers. Kashan turned to an important carpet weaving center in Safavid era. What distinguishes Kashan carpet is its delicate texture, high quality and various patterns like flowers, animals and scenes from history; Kashan carpets have asymmetric knots and Merinos as the wool, which result in the soft surface of Kashan carpet.

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3. Exquisite art of Fars Carpet Weaving

The long history of carpet weaving in Iran can be traced to pazyryk Rug, which was found years ago. Fars Province in southern part of Iran has long been one of the famous places to weave carpets as Fars has always been home to many nomadic tribes including Qashqai and Khamseh tribes. The women of these nomadic tribes weave carpets both for their own use and for sale. Qashqai carpets have world-known fame for various reasons including various styles and patterns. Motifs in Qashqai carpets consist of plant, flower, edged leaves, bergamot, animal, bird, fish, star, checked shapes and swastika. What is so noticeable about these patterns is the reflection of nature in these nomadic carpets; as a combination of color and imagination, these hand-woven carpets represent the surrounding nature. Despite all differences, Qashqai carpets have some similarities like the predominance of geometric pattern and the use of less bright colors. Qashqai women learn this art orally from their mothers and pass this artistic creation to their next generation. One interesting point about Qashqai carpet is the use of horizontal loom, which can be easily disassembled and assembled during migration seasons.

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4. Bakhshis Music in North Khorasan

As part of each society identity, music plays an important role in our life. Musicians in North Khorasan are composed of three groups, with Bakhshis as one of them. Bakhshis are traditional Dotar players who have specific status among other people for both their music and their personality traits. Bakhshi is a title attributed to people who are believed to be blessed by God as they are granted a divine talent that not every one has. These talented people make their own instrument Dotar, which is itself a UNESCO intangible heritage. In addition to making their instrument, they compose their music, write the poem and sing in the finest way possible. It is important to consider that they are not mere singers, but narrators who recount historical, literary, romantic, mystic stories, so they preserve our culture and art. Bakhshis represent the high social status that musicians can play in a society as they are both musicians and mystics who are highly regarded by the society. Due to their special status among people, they act as judges and mediators among people when people face problems. The last point to consider about Bakhshis is that being one of them is not hereditary; Bakhshis need to acquire this social status.

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5. Heroic Rituals of Zoorkhaneh

Zoorkhaneh is a place to practice the traditional heroic sports in Iran. This pahlavani ritual is a combination of pre-Islamic and Islamic trainings. In pre-Islamic time, this heroic sport was practiced in order to prepare the potential warriors for the coming wars. Besides strengthening their body, these sportsmen practiced spiritual trainings as advised by Zoroaster. With the advent of Islam, this ritual absorbed the Islamic beliefs and sportsmen believed they needed to be martially prepared to help Imam Zaman when he needs help. Zoorkhaneh is a domed building with an octagonal sunken arena in which sportsmen use various equipment to strengthen the body. Interestingly, Zoorkhaneh has a low door that prompts the newcomers bend before entering this place as a sign of respect. There is a hierarchical rank among sportsmen with Morshed, the most experienced sportsmen, as the master; this master performs epic songs and plays drum to encourage the athletes for their sports. Fortunately, there are many active zoorkhanehs in Iran at present in which this pahlavani ritual is practiced.

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6. Ta’ziyeh: Persian Dramatic Play

Ta’ziyeh is a passion play performed to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hossein in Muharram. Considering the etymology, the term Ta’ziyeh comes from “aza” in Persian, which means mourning. Although this commemorative performance is now a religious ritual, Ta’ziyeh origin stems from Persian literature and mythology, with mourning for the death of the Persian prince “Siavash”, which had a long tradition in pre-Islamic time and was handed to the next generation in master-pupil manner orally. After converting to Islam, Iranians attributed Ta’ziyeh to the martyrdom of Imam Hossein and his companions in a more elaborate way. Ta’ziyeh is rich in symbolism; for instance, the color of clothing represents who the character is; villains are dressed in red while the innocent protagonists wear white and green. This theater includes music, poem, song and elaborate costume to enhance the quality of narrating what happened to Shi’ite followers. This long-held tradition represents the cultural identity of Iranian people either in ancient time or Islamic era, which is accompanied by music and performance. The golden age of Ta’ziyeh goes back to Qajar dynasty when it was promoted by the government, but it was prohibited in Pahlavi era and was revived again in the current era.

7. Naqqali: Persian Dramatic Story-Telling

Besides Ta’ziyeh, Naqqali is another form of theatrical play that has long been part of Iranian cultural identity. The written stories that have survived to the modern time actually owe their existence to Naqqals or narrators who transmitted them orally. Naqqali, which is the oldest form of narrating story orally, recounts a wide range of stories. This oral tradition dates back to pre-Islamic time in Iran when Naqqals narrated the stories of heroic and mythical characters like Mithra, Anahita and Siavash; in addition, they recount musically stories of Shahnameh along with historical events. The acme of their popularity can be traced to Safavid era when religious stories like Muharram were performed as well. Naqqals mostly performed in coffee houses and caravanserais as these two places had turned to active structures to make common people familiar with the ancient history, literature, religion and customs. As the bearers of Persian cultural identity, Naqqals must a have retentive memory, good knowledge of epic, literary and moral stories, the ability to improvise and great verbal communication skills so that they can perform their individual performance either in prose or verse using gestures. Unfortunately, this dramatic art is losing its popularity due to many factors including modernization.

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