TEHRAN – Davud Fat’halibeigi, a top expert on traditional Iranian dramatic performances, is teaching young adults tazieh in a TV program, which is being on air on IRIB Channel 2.

The program named “On the Wing of Tazieh” is being broadcasted during the first ten days of the lunar month of Muharram. 

“The 10-episode program by director Mohsen Ameri tells the story of two young adults who would like to learn tazieh and they meet master Fat’halibeigi who teaches them a part of tazieh in each episode,” producer Ruzbeh Gilani said on Tuesday.

He added that the tazieh performances are seen in the program besides the play by Fat’halibeigi named “Uncle Hashem”.

“Uncle Hashem” has been written by Fat’halibeigi and centers on the life of Fayyaz, an expert who mostly used to play the role of Shimr, the villain who beheaded Imam Hussain (AS) in the Battle of Karbala.

Gilani said that “On the Wing of Tazieh” is also available virtually.

Fat’halibeigi plans to restage “Uncle Hashem” at the Sangelaj Hall in Tehran.

“The play is actually a recreation of part of the memories of Hashem Fayyaz. In older times, tazieh troupes used to travel to remote places and on the way they used to stop in the villages and perform tazieh. 

Of course, they might have been through hard times but they had also helped promote the culture of tazieh and religious stories among those who have been far from any facilities,” Fat’halibeigi had said.

He added that the play is based on one of Fayyaz’s memories of his performances when he was invited by an elderly woman living in a remote region to perform a tazieh at her house for her and her husband, neither of whom had seen a tazieh performance previously. 

Fayyaz said that he plays the role of Shimr, and the elderly man begins to quarrel with his wife as to why she invited him. Fayyaz then has to leave the house and spends the night in a mosque.

Manijeh Davari, Hamid Madankan and Amir Azadrusta will be acting in the play, which will go on stage within the next two weeks.

Photo: A young adult gives a tazieh performance at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla in Tehran in an undated photo. (Shabestan/Amir-Hossein Salehi) 

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