Glossary of Persian and Arabic Terms
| Ê¿ahd-nÄmeh | covenant |
| ahl-e bait | (literally âpeople of the houseâ) used here according to the Twelver ShiÊ¿i understanding: to refer to the Prophet Muḥammad, his daughter FÄá¹emeh-ye ZahrÄ, her husband, Muḥammadâs cousin, Ê¿AlÄ« b. AbÄ« ṬÄleb, their sons Ḥasan and Ḥusain, and the rest of the Twelve Imams |
| amÄnÄt | key relics that represent the tribulations endured by the Prophetâs family, in the righteous path, and believed to be important for the intercession that FÄá¹emeh-ye ZahrÄ will make on the Day of Judgement |
| Ê¿ÄshÅ«rÄʾ | the 10th of Muḥarram, understood to be the date of Ḥusainâs death |
| awliyÄʾ | defenders or friends, can denote the ShiÊ¿i Imams, who are considered friends of God. In the taʾziyeh all of Ḥusainâs supporters are termed awliyÄʾ. |
| Ê¿azÄdÄrÄ« | mourning |
| baḥr-e á¹avÄ«l | a form of Persian verse, for further explanation see chapter 3 section 3.3 |
| chahÄr-pÄreh (also á¹£ad-pÄreh) | a conversation in rhyming prose, with each speaker giving very short, even single word interjections |
| faqareh (pl. faqareh-hÄ) | a short, relatively self-contained section of dramatic action that includes a few scenic movements and/or a dialogue |
| farangī | European, foreigner, foreign |
| fehrest | directorâs key, prompt sheet |
| futuvvat | a type of spiritual chivalry practised amongst brotherhoods in the Islamic world, synonymous with the Persian javÄnmardÄ« |
| ghazal | Persian lyric poem |
| gurÄ«z | (literally âescapeâ or âdigressionâ) a dramatic device used to link diverse events and occurrences to the Karbala narrative and the subject matter of a main episode |
| gÅ«sheh (pl. gÅ«sheh-hÄ) | sub-episode; scene featuring a short, self-contained narrative that can be performed within the body of a main episode or as a prologue or epilogue to it. Also referred to as a taÊ¿ziyeh-ye farÊ¿Ä« when not within the body of a longer episode |
| haram | womenâs quarters |
| ḥejleh | nuptial tent |
| jinn | genies |
| jung | the script of a taʿziyeh play with the lines of all characters, in the order in which they are delivered, written into a single booklet |
| houris | virgins of paradise |
| kafan | shroud |
| kanīz | maid servant |
| kashkūl | beggars bowl |
| maqtal genre | body of works giving devotional accounts of the martyrdoms of ShiÊ¿ismâs central figures |
| maÊ¿rekeh | (literally âbattleâ) in Timurid Khurasan, a place of public gathering to watch diverse forms of display, from wrestling to oratory performances |
| mashk | water-skin |
| meá¹£rÄÊ¿ | hemistich; half of a bait (couplet) |
| Muḥarram | First month of the Islamic calendar year; month during which the main commemorations of the Karbala martyrdoms take place |
| MuÊ¿Ä«n al-BukÄʾ | director of the royal taÊ¿ziyeh; initially the name of a particular individual who directed performances at Tekiyeh-ye Dawlat, the venue commissioned by NÄá¹£er al-DÄ«n ShÄh, subsequently went into general usage for all who held this role |
| nÄkÄmÄ« | disappointment; lack of fulfilment |
| nÄmÅ«s | honour |
| naqqÄlÄ« | traditional Iranian storytelling |
| naqqÄl (pl. naqqÄlÄn) | storyteller(s) of the naqqÄlÄ« tradition |
| nowkhaá¹á¹ (also khaá¹á¹) | emergent moustache of an adolescent youth |
| Nowrūz | Persian New Year |
| nuskheh | script |
| nuskheh-gardÄn (pl. nuskheh-gardÄnÄn; also taÊ¿ziyeh-sarÄyandeh, pl. taÊ¿ziyeh- sarÄyandegÄn) | script writer; composer |
| pardeh | (literally âcurtainâ) painted canvas backdrop used by storytellers |
| pardeh-dÄrÄ« | (also pardeh-khÄnÄ«, or shamÄyel-gardÄnÄ«) devotional storytelling using a painted canvas backdrop |
| pardehdÄr (pl. pardehdÄrÄn) | storyteller of the pardeh-dÄrÄ« tradition |
| pÄ«sh-e vÄqeÊ¿eh | prologue |
| qeblah | Muslim direction of prayer (towards Mecca) |
| rawżeh-khÄnÄ« | recitals (largely by mullahs) of the tribulations of the ShiÊ¿i martyrs, and stories from the lives of the ahl-e bait, as told in Ḥusain VÄÊ¿eẠKÄshefÄ«âs Rawżat al-shuhadÄʾ and similar works |
| rawżeh-khÄn (pl. rawżeh-khÄnÄn) | orator in the rawżeh-khÄnÄ« tradition |
| rawżeh-khÄnÄ«/maqtal | genre of lithographed books treating the tribulations of the ShiÊ¿i martyrs |
| sakū | platform in the centre of the taʿziyeh performance space from which the majority of the dialogue is performed |
| sÄqÄ« | water-bearer, cup-bearer |
| shahÄdah | Muslim declaration of faith |
| shahÄdat | martyrdom |
| sīneh-zanī | rhythmic chest beating forming part of Muḥarram commemorations |
| sukhanvarī | a contest in rhetoric involving a lengthy duel in verse between two contenders |
| sukhanvar (pl. sukhanvarÄn) | a sukhanvarÄ« participant |
| tak-nuskheh | (also fard-nuskheh) a form of taʿziyeh script in which the lines of each character are written into separate booklets, for use by the players in performance |
| takhalluá¹£ | nom de plume, pen name |
| taÊ¿ziyeh-gardÄn (pl. taÊ¿ziyeh- gardÄnÄn) | taÊ¿ziyeh director(s) |
| taÊ¿ziyeh-khÄnÄ« (abbr. taÊ¿ziyeh, also shabÄ«h-khÄnÄ«) | ShiÊ¿i devotional drama (Iranian) |
| taÊ¿ziyeh-khÄn (pl. taÊ¿ziyeh-khÄnÄn) | taÊ¿ziyeh performer(s) |
| taÊ¿ziyeh-ye zanÄneh | taÊ¿ziyeh performance delivered by women for female-only audiences |
| tekiyeh (also ḥusainiyah) | venue for taʿziyeh performances and other Muḥarram observances |
| á¹Å«mÄr | prompt book or scroll |
| Ê¿ulamÄʾ | Muslim clerics, scholars and jurists |
| ummah | Muslim community |
| vÄqeÊ¿eh (also majles-e aá¹£lÄ«) | full-length taÊ¿ziyeh play; main episode |
| vaá¹£iyyat | last will and testament |
| zanÄneh-khÄn | male taÊ¿ziyeh performer specialised in playing female characters |
| áºÅ«-l-feqÄr | Ê¿AlÄ« b. AbÄ« ṬÄlebâs legendary double-headed sword |