Muharram Museum

The Mourning of Muharram (also known as the Remembrance of Muharram or Muharram Observances) celebrated so passionately and magnificently that it is now part of the intangible heritage and hosts many mourners and tourists every year in East Azerbaijan.

The Mourning of Muharram includes some rites hold in a different region that which have been registered on Iranian national heritage list such as the mourning in Mozaffarieh Timche (Tabriz). There are many symbols and signs in this mourning that rooted in the culture and religion of this land. Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of East Azerbaijan province established the Muharram Museum in Tabriz to present these signs and symbols to tourists during other months of the year.

This museum is situated at the end of Motahari Street in an old house, Sehati House, which dates back to the end of the Qajar period. This house belongs to the late Dr. Abol-Ghasem Sehati. He changed it to Hossayniya (a congregation hall for Twelver Shia Muslim commemoration ceremonies, especially those associated with the Mourning of Muharram); in addition to presenting the symbols of Muharram in this house, Rawda Khani, reading Quran, and the Mourning of Muharram are held in the basement.

This is a four hundred and nine-meter building with a brick façade and three floors. Here, there are a lot of objects and signs and symbols related to the Mourning of Muharram and Ashura (the tenth day of Muharram and the day that Husayn ibn Ali was martyred in the Battle of Karbala). Alams (a special flag that is the ensign of Husayn ibn Ali in the Battle of Karbala and a sign of truth and bravery), flags, many types of Togh (a different type Alam), and drink containers, musical instruments, mourning costumes, and other objects are some resemblances of the culture and history of various regions in East Azerbaijan province which carry a history as long as Shia religion.

In the yard, there exists the sculpture of Zuljanah, the horse of Husayn ibn Ali. On the first floor, we can find various types of Togh, Ali Asghar's cradle, lights and candles, and candlesticks. In the second, there are some manuscripts of Noha (the poem and story that were inspired by various books written by different authors throughout the centuries which narrate the story of the battle of Karbala and the death of Husayn ibn Ali), Ta'zieh (the theatrical re-enactment of the Battle of Karbala), and painting related to Pardeh Khani (narrating the stories of the tragedies especially the Battle of Karbala).