Puppetry (Kheimeh-shab-bazi)

Definition

Traditional Iranian string-puppet theatre, and the craft of making its carved and costumed puppets, including the well-known character Mobarak.

History

Kheimeh-shab-bazi ('night-tent play') was performed by travelling troupes, with a narrator and musicians. It has been kept alive in recent decades by theatre groups and festivals in Tehran and elsewhere.

Dates and attributions here summarise common positions in the literature and are under editorial review; they are not definitive.

Technique

Puppet heads are carved or modelled, painted and fixed to a jointed body; costumes are sewn by hand; strings are attached to a wooden control. Makers usually also perform.

Collecting and identification

Puppets are rarely sold. Decorative souvenir puppets are not the same as working theatre puppets; ask whether the piece was used or made by a performing troupe.

This guidance is educational only and is not an authentication or valuation service.

Photographs

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Gallery

Images are representative examples, not evidence for the sample marketplace records. Their sources and permission status are listed in the photography credits.

Marketplace

No objects of this craft are currently listed.

Related knowledge

Sources & references

• Book: Wulff, H. E. The Traditional Crafts of Persia. MIT Press, 1966.
• Institution: Encyclopaedia Iranica, relevant entries (online edition, accessed 2026-09-24).

Where origins, dates or symbolism are contested, this entry states the competing readings rather than choosing between them. Editorial analysis is not presented as documented fact.