*This is an English translation of the original catalog entry in Persian

49ʿAlamat and Chelcheragh of the Kangarlu

Left: ʿAlamat, Iran, 1348 Sh/1969–70 Right: Chelcheragh, date unknown Kangarlu Hosayniyeh, Kohneh Gel, Varamin Photographs by Jabbar Rahmani, 2024

An ʿalamat (علامت) is a symbolic, cross-shaped standard composed of representations of the cypress tree, mythological creatures, and panjeh (پنجه, symbol in the shape of a hand). During the Shiʿi mourning rituals of Tasuʿa (the ninth day of Moharram) and ʿAshura (the tenth day of Moharram), men in mourning processions (دسته‌های عزاداری, dasteh-haye ʿazadari) carry this standard through city streets or place it in ritual spaces such as hosayniyehs and emamzadehs. The ʿalamat typically has a central axial blade (تیغه, tigheh) with several symmetrical blades on either side. Traditionally, the ʿalamat was sized so that one man could carry it through the mourning route. Over time, however, the mourning associations (هیئت, heyʾat) began to commission larger standards, which were too large for a single person to carry, to demonstrate their religious affiliation and financial power. These larger ʿalamat are usually placed on a specially designed wheeled vehicle and moved along the procession route (figs. 1–2).

The most widely accepted narrative for the origin of the ʿalamat is that it centered around the symbol of martyrdom, which is traditionally in the form of a cypress tree in Iranian culture. Although the shape of the modern ʿalamat resembles a cross, it evolved from a single-bladed standard that gained popularity from the seventeenth century onwards during the Safavid era. Contemporary ʿalamat can therefore be seen as developments of traditional symbolic forms known as tugh or tuq (توق, توغ) (fig. 3). The development of the ʿalamat from a central blade, known variously as an ʿalam (علم) or tugh, followed an odd-numbered pattern: one in the middle, one on the left, and one on the right. Over time, ʿalamat were made with 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, and up to 23 blades.

The ʿalamat of the Kangarlu heyʾat has seventeen blades and was made in 1348 Sh/1969 (fig. 4). During its main days of use, it was decorated with traditional colored shawls and colorful feathers (usually ostrich feathers), and young men would carry it in the mourning processions of the first ten days of Moharram. Carrying the sacred ʿalamat was a masculine task, and women were only allowed to pay homage or offer votives to it.

As in other Shiʿi cultural communities in central Iran, the Kangarlu use other symbols in their ʿalamat, including animals such as roosters, deer, lions, camels, mythical birds (morgh-e rokh), and dragons. Sometimes the body of the standard is decorated with fabrics depicting traditional religious symbols of Iranian Shiʿi culture, such as the botteh jeqqeh (بته جقه‌, paisley), sword of Emam ʿAli (Zulfaqar, ذوالفقار), flowers, the names of Emam Hosayn and his brother Hazrat-e ʿAbbas, and the image of the latter, among others (fig. 5).

The large multi-bladed ʿalamat is probably a recent phenomenon among the Kangarlu, dating to the last half century. The village of the Kangarlu [Kohneh Gel] was previously on the outskirts of Varamin but is now integrated into the city due to urban development in recent decades. Accordingly, the tribe has adopted the urban tradition of the ʿalamat. The most important sacred symbol of the Kangarlu in the past was a cross-shaped ʿalam about 50 centimeters tall, which, according to popular belief, was stolen in the early 1950s (fig. 6) (see this interview). The people of Kohneh Gel also remember an older ʿalamat that seems to have been the same five-bladed example visible in a photograph taken in the tomb of Emamzadeh Yahya in 1958, when the emamzadeh was the main ritual space for the Kangarlu (fig. 7). It is commonly believed that this ʿalamat was sold.

Another type of ritual standard similar to the large ʿalamat and also kept in the Kangarlu hosayniyeh is a chelcheragh (چل‌چراغ), literally meaning ‘forty lamps’ (fig. 8). The chelcheragh has a different pattern and origin from the ʿalamat and is designed and organized around light and illumination. For this reason, the centerpiece of the chelcheragh’s composition is a lit lamp or lantern, and in some types, a torch. These rituals objects combine the centrality of light and the number forty, which symbolizes the commemoration of the martyrdom of Emam Hosayn.

This chelcheragh also includes a very small number of symbolic animals such as the morgh-e rokh and peacock, which symbolize heavenly birds in Islamic beliefs. Also present are a suit of armor and several helmets, which represent battle attire and are common in taʿziyeh performance (cat. nos. 46–47). Their inclusion indicates the unique taste of this tribe, because placing armor or a helmet on a chelcheragh is not common in Shiʿi culture. In Shiʿi mourning traditions in different regions of Iran, ʿalamat are more common, and chelcheragh are a rare phenomenon. Although everyone is familiar with chelcheragh, the sanctity and importance of ʿalamat are much greater, and there are many taboos surrounding them to prevent disrespect.

In the current Kangarlu mourning procession, the chelcheragh and ʿalamat are carried along with other ʿalam, parcham (cat. no. 48), tabagh (طبق, a cylindrical structure with mirrorwork and flags), and ritual objects. When the chelcheragh and ʿalamat are not being used in the processions, they are displayed together in the main hall of the hosayniyeh.

Jabbar Rahmani Associate Professor of Anthropology, The Institute of Cultural and Social Studies, Tehran

Citation: Jabbar Rahmani, “ʿAlamat and Chelcheragh of the Kangarlu,” translated by Hoda Nedaeifar. Catalog entry in The Emamzadeh Yahya at Varamin: An Online Exhibition of an Iranian Shrine, directed and edited by Keelan Overton. 33 Arches Productions, January 15, 2025. Host: Khamseen: Islamic Art History Online.