The Kashan Sialk Festival to welcome performances of children and young Naqqals

Children and young adult performed their Naggali in non-governmental elementary and high schools, the Tabatabai Historical House, Kashan University, the Morshid and Mubarak Playhouse, and the Avgun Cafe, , and performed martial and musical retellings of the Shahnameh and other historical books for the audience.

 

Artists from the cities of Hamedan, Mashhad, Abadan, and Kashan performed in Davood Fathali Baygi  section at the pavilion in Kamal-ol-Molk Square.

Naqqāli is the oldest form of dramatic performance in the Islamic Republic of Iran and has long played an important role in society, from the courts to the villages. The performer – the Naqqāl – recounts stories in verse or prose accompanied by gestures and movements, and sometimes instrumental music and painted scrolls. Naqqāls function both as entertainers and as bearers of Persian literature and culture, and need to be acquainted with local cultural expressions, languages and dialects, and traditional music.

The Kashan Sialk Festival, which is held in the historic city of Kashan with the support of the non-governmental section and hosts traditional Naqqals from all over the country, once again proves the importance of ritual and traditional performances as the heritage of this land; a heritage that has not only continued  to attract an audience throughout history, but also has the potential to be seen more than ever before.