From the Sun-Scorched Desert of Iran to the Beaches of Trinidad: Ta'ziyeh's Journey from Asia to the Caribbean

Since the beginning of the 16th century, when the Safavid shahs established Twelver Shiite Islam as the state religion, Iran has been a great repository of Shiite mourning rituals. Many of these rituals were exported to other places. Iranian Shiites could perform pilgrimages (ziyarat) to the tomb of Hussein in Karbala and even carry their dead to be buried there: Karbala's cemetery is one of the largest in the world because most Shiites desire to be laid to rest near the tomb of Hussein. The Shiites of India did not have the same advantage. Their great distance from Karbala made it difficult for Indian Shiites to travel to Iraq as pilgrims and near impossible to transport their dead to the cemetery in the holy city. For this reason the Indian Shiites established local "karbalas" (cemeteries, and sites of Muharram rituals) on the subcontinent by bringing soil from Karbala and sprinkling it on ground designated for future cemeteries. Once the karbalas had been established in India, it was necessary to bring Hussein's tomb-shrine to the subcontinent. The Shiites of India did this by building replicas of Hussein's mausoleum—called ta'ziyeh—to be carried in Muharram processions (see also Korom and Chelkowski 1994). It is quite amazing that the stationary and ambulatory rites of Muharram in India, which is one of the major cradles of the dramatic arts, did not merge as they did in Iran to create a theatrical form.

The word "replica" is not quite apt for describing the ta'ziyeh constructions, since even contemporary builders, who have photographs and films featuring Hussein's mausoleum to consult for reference, build extraordinary creations that have no resemblance to his actual tomb-shrine. They view their work as acts of creation that express their piety and devotion to Hussein. The ta'ziyehs vary in size from petite constructions to huge edifices, but all must be light enough to be carried or wheeled in procession. The frames are built out of bamboo and adorned with tinsel, papier-mâché, and colored paper. Modern ta'ziyehs also incorporate plastic and styrotex into their construction.

These representations of Hussein's mausoleum built by the Shiites of India are transformations of the common processional bier, known as nakhl in Iran. The nakhl is an artistic representation of the improvised stretcher on which the body of Imam Hussein was carried from the place of his martyrdom to his tomb and is the direct antecedent of the Caribbean tadja as well. In English, nakhl is translated as "date palm." Many Shiites believe that Hussein's body was moved to the shade of a palm tree;hence his bier is called nakhl. However, it seems more plausible that his bier was fashioned from the only material available in the Karbala desert: palm tree branches. Over the years, this modest pallet evolved into an extravagantly decorated framework, which reached its culmination in the 19th century. For use in Ashura rites (the 10th day of Muharram), nakhls are built from wood in sizes that range from simple forms easily carried by two men to colossal structures three-stories-high supported by hundreds of people. This large wooden structure is carried in procession on the day of Ashura in villages and towns along the Kavir and Lut deserts in Iran, the regions where the greatest number of nakhls and nakhl-related rituals are to be found. Most are seen in the Yazd district. In addition to its religious significance, a nakhl is a symbol of pride and social unity for a town, village, or district. They are found in places of honor in town squares or in and around a takiyeh, the structure built to stage the ta'ziyeh plays.

1.

The shrine mausoleum of Hussein in Karbala. (Courtesy of Peter J. Chelkowski)

When not in use, the nakhl is kept outside, exposed to the elements. As a result, the wood begins to deteriorate. In Yazd's main Amir Chaqmaq Square stands...