Beginner guide · 10 min
Kheimeh-shab-bazi: traditional Persian puppet theatre
Editorial team · updated 2026-10-03
How a show works
Puppeteers hidden behind a small tented stage work marionettes while a morshed talks with the characters from outside. Music and comic dialogue carry stories of masters, servants and village life.
Key character
Mobarak, a quick-witted servant, mocks the powerful and drives the humour.
Heritage status
Iran inscribed Kheimeh-shab-bazi on UNESCO's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding (2022). Few master troupes remain.
The puppet-making craft
Puppets have carved or moulded heads, hand-sewn costumes and simple string controls. Puppet makers are often performers themselves.
A note on this guide
This is a general introduction written by the CraftPersia editorial team and has not yet been reviewed by a specialist. Workshop practice varies between towns and families; treat dates and figures as approximate and confirm details with makers, museums or published scholarship before relying on them.