Dobārkeh”; a Goddess in the Body of Puppet: A Theatrical-Ritual Investigation into Nashvar al Mohazirah by Tanoukhi

In his book; Nashvār al Mohāzirah and Akhbār al Mozākerah, Tanoukhi – the judge and Arabic literary writer speaks about a puppet called “Dobārkeh”. This short report shows well how this puppet is made in Baghdad and is placed on the housetop at Nowrouz night-the ritual which is closely tied to the ancient ceremony of new year especially saint marriage. By relying on the evidence gathered from Tanoukhi’s re-interpretation and extra textual signs of New Year in Babylon and puppet rituals of Iran, this paper tries to unveil the nature of “Dobārkeh” and its link to the goddess of fertility. The most important result of this research is that Baghdad’s inhabitants hold this ceremony and “Dobārkeh” is the goddess of fertility represented in the body of this puppet. Therefore, it is possible to take into account   “Dobārkeh” and its rituals in the same vein as Nowrouz theatrical rituals.