Representation of Political Structure in Transformations of Mourning Rituals during Safavid Era

Safavid Era is one of the most important historical eras in Iran. During this era, rituals with Shiite content are particularly valued by the rulers due to Shia enforcement as the official religious branch of Iran. Among the rituals is the mourning tradition and Dasteh-gardani (arrangement of group mourning rituals) IRU martyrdom of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) held in Muharram featuring specific extent and development during Safavids. Certain transformations and features emerge in mourning rituals during this period, which seem to be inspired by political structure of Safavid Era.The present study is carried out to answer how components of political structure during Safavid Era are reflected in mourning rituals.The research methodology is history-based and the acquired result is indicative of the fact that group mourning rituals of Muharram served as a suitable medium for exploitation by Safavid government in strengthening its sovereignty foundations taking into account profound ideological and national beliefs and devotion of Shias expressed to their third Imam.

Representation of Political Structure in Transformations of Mourning Rituals during Safavid Era Keywords:

Safavid Era , Mourning Rituals in Iran , Dasteh-gardani (arrangement of mourning groups) , Structuralist Sociology