Ashura

Given that the Bazaar series was captured during Ashura—the most significant Shiite religious observance, commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Husain—and that bazaars have historically served as epicenters for these ceremonies, documenting the rituals of this event became an integral and complementary element of the archive.

Ashura is composed of three primary segments, each deeply embedded in the social and cultural fabric of Iranian life. The first is the preparation and distribution of food, a massive act of communal charity in which millions are fed through offerings from wealthier citizens, notably including bazaar merchants. The second is Ta’ziyeh, an open-air theatrical reenactment that dramatizes the events of Imam Husain’s martyrdom nearly 1,400 years ago. The third is Sinehzani, a ritual of mourning involving large processions that emerge from various mosques. Participants carry symbolic artifacts—some quite heavy—and engage in rhythmic self-flagellation with chains in a ritualized expression of grief and solidarity with the suffering of Husain.

These ceremonies, rich in symbolism and deeply rooted in Shiite identity, are captured in Behshad's work not only as ethnographic records, but as meditations on collective memory, devotion, and the layered intersection of commerce, religion, and architecture in public space.