Reproduction of the Frescoes on the Walls of the " Naqshin" Holly Tombs in the Region of Guillan

The holly tombs with frescoes of religious scenes on the walls are called “Naqshin” (Painted) tombs in Guillan region. Most of the religious themes in these frescoes refer to the Karbala event – location of the historical martyrdom of one of Shiite spiritual leaders, Imam Hussain-, also known as the Ashura event – refering to the date of martyrdom. The roots of these traditional frescoes go back to the Shiite backgrounds and religious culture in Guillan region in north of current Iran. With a history of at least two centuries.
The present article mostly tends to explain why these frescoes have been vastly reproduced in the region.
In order to find the answer to the major question, the essential data was collected through a document review and survay process. Then the data of the painted frescos of the Guilan region was interpreted with a descriptive method through an ethnographic approach.
The results and findings show that these religious frescoes of “Naqshin” (painted) tombs enjoy multiple functions along with the decorative and informative aspects usually ascribed to them, to note one, the oblations and vows for patronage the renewals and re-painting of the frescoes seems to have secured the endurance of the whole tradition.