Nikabad (also named Yengabad) is the centre of Jarqavieh Sofla District and is located 65 km southeast of Isfahan.
The ceremony of Tekiyeh in this city is 200 years old and is held annually for 60 nights during the two months of Muharram and Safar, in more than 20 congregation halls presenting 1500 sessions.
The name of this ritual has been derived from the congregation halls (hussainiya) of the Qajar epoch, which were famously known as tekiyeh.
The reason is that, in the early days of this ceremony, it was held in these tekiyehs, after performing ta’zieh.
The ritual of Tekiyeh contains a number of special tasks including nakhl-gardani, saqaei, sineh-zani (chest beating) and zanjir-zani in groups, reciting poems, and the tradition of Sofre (including recitation of the prayer of Sofre, which is specific to this city, washing hands with a certain kind of ewer and basin called dast-shoor before having the meal, etc.).
Tekiyeh culminates on the days of Ashura and Tasu’a, in which, after having finished primary practices in different congregation halls, an assembly of over 2000 people enter Azam Hussainiya—the main congregation hall and the origin of Tekiyeh in this city—and express their enthusiasm for Imam Husayn.
The observances begin with recitation of the Holy Quran and Ziyarat Ashura* and continue for 2 more hours through giving speeches and reciting certain elegies.
In the end, the mourners are served with abgoosht.
Abgoosht is a traditional Iranian dish made with fresh mutton and various spices.
The special abgoosht of this ritual is cooked in clay pots and using wood fire in traditional tandoors.
The sponsors of the ceremony serve the dish with local bread, buttermilk and vegetables.
* a Shiite prayer, recommended for the mourning of Muharram
