Time Out of Memory Ta'ziyeh, the Total Drama.

Abstract

This article discusses the dramatic structure of ta'ziyeh. The tragedy reenacts the death of Imam Hussein and his male children and companions in a brutal massacre on the plain of Karbala, Iraq, in the year 680 C. E., year 61 of the Muslim calendar. Hussein's murder was the outcome of a protracted power struggle for control of the nascent Muslim community following the death of the Prophet Muhammad. Like Western passion plays, ta'ziyeh dramas were originally performed outdoors at crossroads and other public places where large audiences could gather. Community cooperation was encouraged in the building and decoration of the takiyeh whether the funds for the enterprise were provided by a wealthy, public-minded benefactor or by contributions from the citizens of a particular town or district.