Muharram in Iran

This chapter briefly introduces the traditions that revolve around Muharram in Iran and pinpoints the ritual as an authentic festival. Utilising the expressed views of foreign tourists who have experienced the festival and applying the existing literature on festival tourism, this chapter discusses the intersections that such religious festivals could have with tourism in Iran to be an avenue for implementation of Halal Tourism. Three aspects that are unique to Muharram festival are identified and a number of opportunities and challenges related to Muharram and international tourism in Iran will be raised, some of which have already been expressed by tourists yet mostly neglected by scholars and other involved people or organisations in the Iranian context. Although the whole month of Muharram is the observed period of Muharram Remembrance, the most important rituals belong to the first ten days of the month with its peak on the 9th and 10th of Muharram (Tasu’a and Ashura) and the 40th day after the day of Ashura—called the Arba’een—in the month of Safar. However, due to the purpose and focus of this chapter, the Remembrance of Muharram and Muharram festival hereafter only apply to the first ten days of the month, during which the most significant, organised, and focused rituals are observed and practised throughout Iran. This chapter also aims to lay some grounds for future research that helps to provide less explored and less developed avenues of Halal tourism in Iran.