The nakhl is an artistic representation of the improvised stretcher on which the body of Imam Hussein was carried from the place of his martyrdom to his tomb and is the direct antecedent of the Caribbean tadja as well. In English, nakhl is translated as “date palm.” Many Shiites believe that Hussein’s body was moved to the shade of a palm tree; hence his bier is called nakhl. However, it seems more plausible that his bier was fashioned from the only material available in the Karbala desert: palm tree branches. Over the years, this modest pallet evolved into an extravagantly decorated framework, which reached its culmination in the th century. For use in Ashura rites (the 10th day of Muharram), nakhls are built from wood in sizes that range from simple forms easily carried by two men to colossal structures three stories high supported by hundreds of people. This large wooden structure is carried in procession on the day of Ashura in villages and towns along the Kavir and Lut deserts in Iran, the regions where the greatest number of nakhls and nakhl related rituals are to be found. Most are seen in the Yazd district. In addition to its religious significance, a nakhl is a symbol of pride and social unity for a town, village, or district. They are found in places of honor in town squares or in and around a takiyeh, the structure built to stage...
Posted on: Mon, 27 Oct 2014 18:52:39 +0000
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