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Manage No, Sortation, Country, Writer ,Date, Copyright Manage No EE00000114 Country Iran ICH Domain Oral traditions and representations Performing Arts Traditional craft skills Address Most bearers of the elment live in villages, remote towns; just a few of them live in such big cities as Tehran, Shiraz, Mashad, Isfahan, etc. These bearers are few in number, yet they can still be found throughout Iran.
| Description | Naqqāli is an Iranian traditional theatre form, having originated in ancient Iran. This dramatic performance concerns telling of a story, history or non-history based, in a variety of genres. It is done either in verse or prose and accompanied by gestures and movements appropriate to the event related. Iran enjoys a long tradition of Naqqāli. This tradition was called “Gowsān” during Parthians (3rd BC-3rd AD). “Gowsān”s (the reciters) acted as entertainers to both kings and ordinary people. Under the Sassanids (3rd-7th AD), Naqqāli was highly regarded at court, where it used to be called “Xonyāgari”. Following the collapse of the Sassanid, these reciters emmigrated to remote areas to keep the tradition alive. In ancient times, they used to recite narrative poems, play musical instruments, sing, and act. Naqqāli is the oldest form of dramatic performance in Iran. Historically, it has adopted itself with socio-political circumstances. Before the Sassanid(651 AD), Naqqāls were poets and musicians simultaneously. They recited stories along with playing instruments. Bārbad was the most renown Naqqāl of the Sassanid. During Ghaznavids(10th-12th AD), the Court banned musical Naqqāli. But the tradition survived in remote areas. Two important events occurred during the Safavid period (16th-18th AD): establishment of coffee-houses and applying “Parde”. Parde introduced a new style in Naqqāli, and coffee-houses became exclusive venues for Naqqāls for, at least, 300 years. Up to several decades ago, great coffee-houses hired Naqqāls. Unfortunately, the strong influence of western culture and break down of the old traditions caused a decline in popularity of coffee-houses; consequently, Naqqāl's lost their traditional audiences During the Islamic period, such reciters were known under various names; such names had their origin in the types of the repertory of the tales they recited. One example is, so called, “Shāhnāme-Xān”s, who were specialized in reciting tales from Shāhnāme, the great Persian epic by Ferdowsi. This naming style can still be traced. In addition to Persian literature, Naqqāls needed to be acquainted with expressions referring to the local culture, or the Iranian traditional/folk music. Thus, they functioned as both entertainers, and bearers of Persian literature and culture, while encouraging national cohesion. Nowadays, the language of recited narrations is not limited to Persian; these tales are allowed to be narrated in regional dialects or languages. Up to several years ago they were the most important guardians of folk-tales, ethnic- epics and Iranian folk music. Naqqāli requires considerable talent; no one can arrive at eminence in this line except men of cultivated taste and retentive memory. They must not only be acquainted with the best ancient and modern stories, but be able to change them in relation to new incidents, either heard or invented. They must also recollect the finest texts of poetry, which they may quote from. The audience are normally acquainted with the tale, so the Naqqāl requires the charm in his performance, an attractive voice quality, as well as skill in acting to captivate them. The Naqqāl is alone in performing a rich range of roles, such as those of kings, queens, warriors, princesses, beggars, etc, convincingly. He is even a master in producing sound effects, including horse galloping, fencing ,etc. Master Naqqāls, even, are well equipped with a knowledge of Iranian sports, while they recite skills in wrestling and fencing, among others. There are two groups of practitioners, the Professional and the Seasonal. They may perform in coffee-houses, tents of nomads, houses, and historical places like ancient caravanserais. The Professionals, who are few in number now, earn their living from Naqqāli; seasonals have other occupations, too. Nowadays, professional Naqqāls are mostly invited for official ceremonies sponsored by municipalities or governmental institutes. Seasonal Naqqāls mostly perform in regional ceremonies like wedding parties, or even mourning ceremonies. However, both groups have been invited for Iranian Ritual-Traditional Theatre Festivals since the very beginning of its establishment. Naqqāls, especially Morsheds (master Naqqāls), wear costumes reminiscent of Dervishes cloths. They may, even, use ancient helmets, or armoured jackets in the middle of the performance, to create a sense of reality for the battle scenes. Their multifunctional canes may represent a wide range of motifs, including a beautiful beloved, a horse, a sword, etc. “Parde”, used by some Naqqāls, is a painted curtain in the Coffee-House-Style. Having preserved all the logical, religious and traditional styles, it has flourished as a sign of respect for popular beliefs. The painters have been messengers of light and impossible dreams. Due to the fact that this unique theatrical performance always presents one of the deepest and genuine layers of the national Iranian culture, its protection will definitely serve to safeguard the national and historical roots of it. Besides, it can be a source of inspiration for literary figures and artists all around the world. Every form of art is a unique language faciliating peaceful communication among different cultures. In this regard, Naqqāli should be considered as an international heirtage in urgent need for safeguarding. |
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| Social and cultural significance | Naqqāli is an Iranian traditional theatre form, having originated in ancient Iran. This dramatic performance concerns telling of a story, history or non-history based, in a variety of genres. It is done either in verse or prose and accompanied by gestures and movements appropriate to the event related. Iran enjoys a long tradition of Naqqāli. This tradition was called “Gowsān” during Parthians (3rd BC-3rd AD). “Gowsān”s (the reciters) acted as entertainers to both kings and ordinary people. Under the Sassanids (3rd-7th AD), Naqqāli was highly regarded at court, where it used to be called “Xonyāgari”. Following the collapse of the Sassanid, these reciters emmigrated to remote areas to keep the tradition alive. Naqqāli is the oldest form of dramatic performance in Iran. Historically, it has adopted itself with socio-political circumstances. Before the Sassanid(651 AD), Naqqāls were poets and musicians simultaneously. They recited stories along with playing instruments. Bārbad was the most renown Naqqāl of the Sassanid. During Ghaznavids(10th-12th AD), the Court banned musical Naqqāli. But the tradition survived in remote areas. Two important events occurred during the Safavid period (16th-18th AD): establishment of coffee-houses and applying “Parde”. Parde introduced a new style in Naqqāli, and coffee-houses became exclusive venues for Naqqāls for, at least, 300 years. In addition to Persian literature, Naqqāls needed to be acquainted with expressions referring to the local culture, or the Iranian traditional/folk music. Thus, they functioned as both entertainers, and bearers of Persian literature and culture, while encouraging national cohesion. Nowadays, the language of recited narrations is not limited to Persian; these tales are allowed to be narrated in regional dialects or languages. Up to several years ago they were the most important guardians of folk-tales, ethnic- epics and Iranian folk music. |
| Transmission method | Naturally enough, the tranmission method of the element can be claimed to be oral, and it engages the face-to-face interaction of master with pupil. Naqqāls know their tales by heart, but master Naqqāls, called “Morshed”s, have the written form of their repertory of the tale which is called “Tumār”. Every Morshed has his personal Tumār which is unique in terms of the sequence of tales and incidents. These Tumārs are actually dramatic versions of Persian tales, harmonized with the performance conventions of Iranian traditional theatre. Recently several of these Tumārs, including “Rostam and Sohrāb” of Shāhnāme, the most popular and demanding tale for Naqqāli, have been published. Even now, to be recognized as a Naqqāl, beginners need to be trained as pupils by Morsheds. The pupil accompanies his/her Morshed in performances. After several sessions, in the middle of one performance, Morshed presents his metrāq (his multifunctional cane), to his pupil, who is sitting among the audience. The pupil should go toward the stage, to continue the performance. The pupils depend totally on their Morsheds, till he announces the termination of the apprenticeship. The pupils remain respectful of their masters for the rest of their lives; in their presence, they, always, ask permission from them to begin the performance. There are still variable forms of Naqqāli all over Iran, though there has been a decrease in the number of Naqqāls. Nowadays, no Naqqāl, seasonal or professional, can earn his living just by Naqqāli. This has led to less interest in professional Naqqāli. Besides, Naqqāls, especially Morsheds, perform not for individual fame, but for their love of this art. They are loyal to the fundamental spiritual manners of traditional arts, according to which artists are only shadows of art, and art itself should be the focal point of the activity. This belief has resulted in marginizing traditional artists and their art in modern societies. While mass media continue to bombard the communities with modern art continuously, the humble traditional artists are going to be easily forgotten. For the time being, the total number of professional and seasonal Naqqāls is estimated not to exceed 200 individuals, half of whom living in rural areas scattered throughout Iran. Gradually losing its traditionally regarded audience and venues, the element is rapidly losing its popularity among younger generations, and, as a result, the community of the practitioners can be claimed to be extremely old. The problematic situation that threatens the survival of Naqqāli regards the fact that the practitioners are getting very old, whereas there is no plan to safeguard the related oral heritage, and to transfer it to the younger generations. By now, a community of more than one hundred Naqqāls have been identified through registration; however, there are more. Ninety percent of these registered Naqqāls have already passed their sixties. So there is an urgent need to devise plans for recording the heritage and transferring it. Worth to mention, some Morsheds, including Morshed Torabi and Morshed Mirza Ali, have trained several pupils through the traditional oral method. However, there is no such opportunity for other Morsheds. This must be emphasized that the rise in the number of audiences of modern media in Iran continues to cause the decrease in the number of audiences of traditional performances, including Naqqāli. On the other hand, Naqqāli has been detached from its traditional audiences, namely the ordinary people. Nowadays, intellectuals and educated artists show more interest in watching Naqqāli. This has happened not because of lack of distinguished capacities in Iranian traditional theatre, where Naqqāli can be considered the ancestor, but for a very poor presentation of this art. Besides, there is no specific venue for Naqqāls any longer. Even the internal spaces of coffee-houses have changed in design to comply with TV sets, rather than live performances of Naqqāli. Because of the decline in the number of performances, less tales may find the opportunity to be performed. Therefore, as soon as possible, all oral literature of Naqqāli needs to be documented. Besides, the necessary measures must be taken for appropriate safeguarding of the related performance conventions. The other crucial factor is the importance of the process of training. The traditional method of training in Naqqāli, some of its aspects mentioned in a book titled “Fotovat-nāme-ye Soltāni(17th AD), needs to be preserved. The essence of this method relies on training apprentices, not just on teaching and transferring skills to them. For safeguarding the nobility of this art, it is essential to remain loyal to its spiritual training manners. To achieve the mentioned demand, fitting conditions should be provided for Morsheds to transfer their knowledge properly. On the other hand, the method of transferring Naqqāli is chiefly oral. There are a few applied text-books in this field, so it is necessary to record different aspects of the traditional method of training manners of Naqqāli. In short, the ancestor of Iranian Traditional Theatre, Naqqāli, is under threat of disappearing, as it is going to lose its bearers. |
| Community | There are a variety of different ethnic groups in Iran, who follow their own and diverse cultural and customary characteristics. From within ethnic groups, there are almost 100 Naqqāls still performing; prominent among whom, Morshed Zabiholla Bahari, Morshed Abol Hassan Mirza Ali (Tehran), Morshed Vali-ollah Torabi (Tehran), Musa Zangshahi (Baluchestan), Amir Hussain Nobakht (Semnan), Ashiq Mohammad Hussain Dehqan (Azarbaijan Province), Mohammad Moradof (Golestan), Safar Afsari (Gilan), Ali Asqar Aslani (Golestan), Jaber Zare (Khorasan), Nezam Shekarchian (Mazandaran), Naser Vahdati (Gilan), Amir Sadeqi (Tehran), Saqi Aqili (Tehran), Fateme Habibi Zad (Tehran), are worth mentioning, among others. There are also several Iranian traditional theatre experts focusing on recording and researching on Iranian Naqqāli including: Ardeshir Saleh-pour, Davood Fatalibaigi, Hossein Naserbakht, Jahangir Nasri Ashrafi, Hamid Ardalan, and Maryam Nemat Tavousi. The State organizations and non-governmental organizations that are concerned to safeguard Naqqāli include: -Iranian Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts & Tourism Organization (ICHHTO) -Iranian Academy of Art -Dramatic Arts Association -Dramatic Arts Center -Shahname Foundation (NGO) -Iranian House of Music (NGO) -Iranian Theatre Forume (NGO) |
| Type of UNESCO List | List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding |
| Incribed year in UNESCO List | 2011 |
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PI00006071
Naqqali, Iranian Dramatic Story-telling
Naqqāli is an Iranian traditional theatre form, having originated in ancient Iran. This dramatic performance concerns telling of a story, history or non-history based, in a variety of genres. It is done either in verse or prose and accompanied by gestures and movements appropriate to the event related. Iran enjoys a long tradition of Naqqāli. This tradition was called “Gowsān” during Parthians (3rd BC-3rd AD). “Gowsān”s (the reciters) acted as entertainers to both kings and ordinary people. Under the Sassanids (3rd-7th AD), Naqqāli was highly regarded at court, where it used to be called “Xonyāgari”. Following the collapse of the Sassanid, these reciters emmigrated to remote areas to keep the tradition alive. In ancient times, they used to recite narrative poems, play musical instruments, sing, and act.
Iran -
PI00006072
Naqqali, Iranian Dramatic Story-telling
Naqqāli is an Iranian traditional theatre form, having originated in ancient Iran. This dramatic performance concerns telling of a story, history or non-history based, in a variety of genres. It is done either in verse or prose and accompanied by gestures and movements appropriate to the event related. Iran enjoys a long tradition of Naqqāli. This tradition was called “Gowsān” during Parthians (3rd BC-3rd AD). “Gowsān”s (the reciters) acted as entertainers to both kings and ordinary people. Under the Sassanids (3rd-7th AD), Naqqāli was highly regarded at court, where it used to be called “Xonyāgari”. Following the collapse of the Sassanid, these reciters emmigrated to remote areas to keep the tradition alive. In ancient times, they used to recite narrative poems, play musical instruments, sing, and act.
Iran