| Description |
Denoting ""carpet-washing ceremony"" (qāli""carpet""-šuyān""washing ceremony""), Qālišuyān manifests as a huge gathering in Ardehāl, at a 800m-long site, between Emāmzāde Soltān Ali ebn Mohammad Bāqer Mausoleum (abbreviated as Soltān Ali) and the holy stream beside Šāhzāde Hoseyn Mausoleum yard, where a holy carpet is washed as part of a live ritualistic procedure. Unlike the majority of Iranian rituals that follow a rotating lunar calendar, Qālišuyān is attended according to a fixed solar-agricultural calendar, requiring it around the nearest Friday to the 17th day of the month of Mehr (October 8th), called Jom'e-ye Qāli (""carpet Friday""). Thousands of people of Fin and Xāve constitute the practitioners; a greater crowd attends as witnesses.
On Jom'e-ye Qāli morning, the people of Xāve gather at Soltān Ali to sprinkle rose-flower on a donated carpet they select. Having done the wrapping rituals, they, then, deliver it to the people of Fin outside. Holding neatly cut and beautifully decorated wooden sticks, the people of Fin run to take the lead in getting a grasp of the carpet, and carrying it to the running water, cleaned of pollutions and mixed with rose-water. A corner of the carpet is rinsed; the rest is covered with drops sprinkled with the sticks. The carpet is, then, returned to the mausoleum and delivered to the servants inside.
The rituals are to express love and loyalty toward Soltān Ali, who is claimed to have been martyred in the same place and carried to his resting place on a carpet, instead of a shroud. Asserted, mainly, through oral history, Soltān Ali enjoyed a holy stance among the people of Kāšān and Fin of 1,300 years ago, who depended on his spiritual guidance. He was, finally, murdered by jealous governors. The story continues that the corpse was found, three days later, by the people of Fin who carried it in a carpet to the stream of Šāhzāde Hoseyn Mausoleum, Ardehāl, where the people of Xāve joined in washing and burying him. The present-day carpet-washing rituals
are to commemorate the sad burial.
A number of peripheral activities have emerged alongside Qālišuyān, too:
- J ār: Oral proclamation of the ""carpet-Friday"" date by an elder;
- Donated food: Distributed by witnessing people
- Ta'ziye and other ritualistic performing arts: Performed peripheral to the main rituals;
- Gatherings of people on the site, which last for several days. |
| Social and cultural significance |
Nowadays, Qālišuyān constitutes part of the socio-cultural lives of its practitioners. People of Fin find their identities in Soltān Ali: They call their offsprings with the name; also, they mention it when they swear.
Qālišuyān is, however, by no means, frozen; it continues to be recreated: The original holy carpet, even, seems to have been a legend, and the practitioners feel free to substitute it; the casually cut sticks of older periods are being substituted with neatly cut, decorated sticks; new phases have been added (e.g. the Thursday march); and peripheral attractions abound.
The core ritualistic behavior has promoted peace among Kāšān, Fin, Xāve, Našalg, and Ardehāl. The roles are predetermined, and everyone is satisfied. What matters is the spiritual value of the holy carpet, even to the outsiders who attend and collaborate with full respect.
The other domains of ICH, however, contribute in enriching the rituals:
- Linguistic ground: The local dialects and languages which function as vehicles for the Jār Ceremony, or the spiritual songs and hymns;
- Performing arts: Performances of Ta'ziye, Naqqāli, or Parde-xāni constitute part of the peripheral artistic acts;
- Traditional knowlede: The stable solar-agricultural calendar of the rituals manifests as a highly respected ancient achievement;
- Traditional craftsmanship: The domain includes a collection of handicrafts brought into the rituals (e.g. the carpet, the wooden rinsing sticks, the decorations on the flage of Xāve, the prayer-carpet of Kāšān, etc.).
Such manifestations continue to encourage collaboration, understanding, and respect for human achievements among practitioners and ordinary people. |
| Transmission method |
Elders, tribal chiefs, and familial nobles constitute the most reliable sources of information on Qālišuyān. The knowledge is transmitted orally to youngsters, who are allowed to take part only when they are competent and respectful. The main principles include:
- Outsiders are not allowed to join the main rituals;
- Outsiders are allowed to be involved in the peripheral activities;
- Communal affiliations and traditional functions determine the roles;
- Practitioners must remain in harmony with others in performing their roles;
- No conflict and no interference of duties are allowed: The traditionally determined rights must, necessarily, be respected;
- Qālišuyān must be attended, practiced, and terminated in peace, which is the main message gained from Soltān Ali's life and conduct.
The people of Fin, Xāve, Našalg, and Kāšān consider constant oral transmission of the mentioned principles, as well as the details of the ritualistic procedure, as un-separable from the training programs they follow for their children. Such physical actions as carrying or rinsing the carpet, or carrying the flag, are attended by competent young practitioners, who take part under the supervision of the elders.
The people of Našalg bring their family members to ""Jom'e-ye Našalgihā"", where they join in chanting ritualistic hymns, and performing ritualistic actions. They, especially, bring newly married brides to Ardehāl to guarantee a prosperous life for them.
Recent developments in the rituals continue to attract more youngsters; these include the march of the practitioners on the day before the ""Carpet Friday"", welcome receptions of the marching crowd by ordinary people, etc. |
| Community |
The practitioners are classifiable as:
- People of Fin District (A former part of the suburbs of Kāšān, Fin is, nowadays, a district of the city of Kāšān), who carry rinsing sticks, receive the carpet, rinse it in the stream, and bring it back to the mausoleum;
- People of the City of Kāšān (Capital of Kāšān Township), who bring a prayer-carpet to commemorate their old duty of carrying Soltān Ali's prayer-carpet, stated in the oral history;
- People of Xāve village (Narāq Township, Markazi Province), who carry a flag, and stay at the mausoleum, to sprinkle rose-water on the carpet, wrap it, deliver it to the people of Fin, and receive it back;
- People of Našalg (also pronounced as Našalj) (Niyāsar County, Kāšān Township), who join the rituals on the next Friday, Jom'e-ye Našalgihā (""Našalg people's Friday""): They story states unable to join the burial, they decided to have a ceremony on the seventh day.
- People of Ardehāl Village (Niyāsar County, Kāšān Township) |
| Type of UNESCO List |
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity |
| Incribed year in UNESCO List |
2012 |
