Traditions of Middle East
Ramadan, hospitality of coffee and dates, Shabbat, Nowruz and the hajj. 191 traditions on EveryParampara so far.
🇮🇷 Iran and 3 moreChovganچوگان
An equestrian team sport played with mallets and horses across Iran and AzerbaijanGame
🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreMid-Sha'banنصف شعبان
An Islamic night of prayer, remembrance, and seeking divine forgiveness.Spiritual
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 1 moreShemini Atzeretשְׁמִינִי עֲצֶרֶת
The eighth day of assembly, kept right after Sukkot with a prayer for rainSpiritual
🇮🇷 Tehran, IranTa'ziyehتعزیه
A ritual drama from Iran that retells the Karbala mourning each MuharramSpiritual
🇮🇱 IsraelYom HaZikaronיוֹם הַזִּכָּרוֹן
Israel's national day of mourning for fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism.Ceremony
🇮🇷 Iran and 3 morePahlevani and zurkhaneh ritualsآیین پهلوانی و زورخانهای
A traditional Iranian martial art blending calisthenics, wrestling, music and ethicsGame
🇮🇷 Shiraz, IranHaft-sinهفتسین
Seven symbolic items whose Persian names begin with S, set out for NowruzSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇶🇦 Doha, QatarQatar National Dayاليوم الوطني القطري (Al-Yawm al-Waṭani al-Qatari)
A national holiday in Qatar marking the unification of the peninsula under Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani.Ceremony
🇸🇦 Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaSaudi National Dayاليوم الوطني السعودي
An annual public holiday in Saudi Arabia marking the 1932 unification of the kingdom.Ceremony
🇮🇷 Iran and 4 moreSizdah Bedarسیزدهبدر
An open-air picnic holiday concluding the Iranian New Year celebrationsFestival
🇮🇷 Amol, Iran and 3 moreTirganتیرگان (Tirgān)
An ancient Iranian summer festival of water, poetry and rainbow bands, kept on the thirteenth day of Tir.Festival · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇷 Yazd, Iran and 1 moreSadehسده
An ancient midwinter festival of fire, light, and the approach of springFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇸🇦 Jenadriyah, Saudi ArabiaJenadriyahمهرجان الجنادرية
A two-week Saudi cultural festival of camel racing, folk dance, poetry, and craftsFestival
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 1 moreShofarשׁוֹפָר
A ram's horn blown in synagogue to mark the Jewish new year and the end of Yom KippurSpiritual
🇾🇪 Hadhramaut, Yemen and 1 moreJambiyaجنبية
A short curved dagger worn at the waist by Yemeni men, its handle a sign of statusDress
🇹🇷 Van, TurkeyTurkish breakfastkahvaltı
A long, shared Turkish morning meal of many small dishes, sweet and savoury, with teaTable custom · Breakfast
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelVia Dolorosaطريق الآلام (Arabic) / ויה דולורוזה (Hebrew)
A pilgrim walk through Jerusalem's Old City, marking the last journey of JesusSpiritual
🇮🇷 Iran and 4 moreZardoziزردوزی (zarduzi)
Heavy gold and silver embroidery on silk or velvet, worked in Iran, India and beyondCraft
🇹🇷 Istanbul, Turkey and 5 moreSimit
A sesame-encrusted ring bread sold by street vendors across Turkey and the former Ottoman lands.Table custom · Breakfast
🇮🇶 Karbala, Iraq and 4 moreMuharramٱلْمُحَرَّم
The sacred opening month of the Islamic year, observed through remembrance and fastingSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇨🇾 Pano Lefkara, CyprusLefkara lace
Cut-and-stitch needle lace from two villages in Cyprus, once made for brides' dowriesCraft
🇮🇷 Tabriz, Iran and 3 morePersian miniatureنگارگری ایرانی
A tradition of small, brightly coloured paintings created for books and albums.Craft
🇱🇧 Beirut, Lebanon and 7 moreEid il-Burbaraعيد البربارة
A winter feast of costumes, sweet boiled wheat, and sprouting seeds across the LevantFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreDutarدوتار
A long-necked lute crafted from wood and played across Iran and Central AsiaPerformance
🇮🇱 Tel Aviv, Israel and 1 moreAdloyadaעדלאידע
A humorous Purim parade in Israel featuring giant puppets and satirical floats.Festival
🇵🇸 Jericho, PalestineNabi Musaٱلنَّبِي مُوْسَى
An annual Palestinian Muslim pilgrimage and festival honoring the prophet MosesSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇷 Tabriz, IranPersian carpetفرش ایرانی
Hand-woven knotted rugs and flat textiles crafted across the towns and tribes of IranCraft
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia and 2 moreNiqabنِقاب
A face veil worn by some Muslim women, hiding all but the eyesDress
🇹🇷 Turkey and 3 moreKalpak
A tall cap of Turkic peoples, thick for winter and wide and light for summerDress
🇸🇾 Aleppo, SyriaAleppo soapصابون غَار (ṣābūn ghar)
A hard olive-oil and laurel soap, hand-made in Aleppo and aged for monthsCraft
🇮🇱 Safed, Israel and 5 moreHakafotהַקָּפוֹת
Circling the synagogue platform with the Torah scrolls, at Sukkot and Simchat TorahSpiritual
🇹🇷 Erzurum, TurkeyJereedCirit
Riders on horseback throw blunt wooden javelins at rivals in this Turkish team sportGame
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 1 moreSimchat Torahשִׂמְחַת תּוֹרָה
The day Jewish communities finish the Torah reading and start it again, with dancingSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇱 Israel and 4 moreTorah readingקריאת התורה
The public reading of the Torah scroll in synagogue, chanted to a special tuneSpiritual
🇹🇷 Edirne, TurkeyKırkpınar
A three-day Turkish oil wrestling contest near Edirne, held each June since 1360Game
🇹🇷 Istanbul, TurkeyTurkish folk dance
Regional line and circle dances of Turkey, each with its own step and rhythmPerformance
🇸🇦 Mecca, Saudi ArabiaUmrahعُمْرَة
A pilgrimage to Mecca that Muslims may make at most times of year, unlike the HajjSpiritual
🇵🇸 Palestine and 5 moreKeffiyehكُوفِيَّة (kūfīyah)
A square cotton headscarf worn by men in arid parts of the Middle East and North AfricaDress
🇮🇷 Mashhad, Iran and 7 moreIftarإفطار
The sunset meal that breaks the Ramadan fast, eaten with family and communityTable custom · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇮🇱 Israel and 5 moreChallahחַלָּה
A braided Jewish bread, blessed and shared at Shabbat and holiday tablesTable custom · Feasts and festival meals
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia and 1 moreHenna ceremonyليلة الحناء
A night of henna patterns on a bride's hands and feet, kept before the weddingRite of passage
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 3 moreHanukkah menorah
A nine-branched lamp that gains one more flame on each of Hanukkah's eight nightsSpiritual
🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreHigh Holy Daysיָמִים נוֹרָאִים
The Jewish year's ten days of repentance, from Rosh Hashanah to Yom KippurSpiritual
🇮🇱 IsraelKiddushקידוש
A blessing over wine or grape juice that marks Shabbat and festivals as holySpiritual · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 5 moreBar and bat mitzvahבַּר מִצְוָה / בַּת מִצְוָה
A Jewish rite of passage marking when youth reach adulthood and take responsibility for their own actions.Rite of passage · Feasts and festival meals
🇹🇷 Turkey and 2 moreSufi whirling
A Sufi meditation in which dervishes spin in circles to turn toward GodSpiritual
🇹🇷 Edirne, Turkey and 3 moreOil wrestlingYağlı güreş
Oiled wrestlers in leather trousers: Turkey's national sport, centred on KırkpınarGame
🇮🇷 Urmia, IranKurdish danceGovend (گۆڤەند)
Circle dances of the Kurds, led by handkerchief twirlers, for weddings and NewrozPerformance
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Jambiya: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Presentation of Jesus at the Temple: Gaudenzio Ferrari, Public domain, source
- Shabbat meals: Yoninah, Public domain, source
- Turkish breakfast: MustafaERTAN, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chovgan: en:User:Arad, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mid-Sha'ban: sayyed shahab-o- din vajedi, CC BY 4.0, source
- Yom HaZikaron: אבישי טייכר, CC BY 2.5, source
- Zardozi: Zarood, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Qatar National Day: Mohamod Fasil, CC BY 2.0, source
- Saudi National Day: Faisal Arif, CC BY 4.0, source
- Sizdah Bedar: PersianDutchNetwork, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Sadeh: Farzad j, Public domain, source
- Pahlevani and zurkhaneh rituals: Hossein Khosravi, CC BY 4.0, source
- Tirgan: LACIPETO, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Jenadriyah: Abodi009, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Simit: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Muharram: Victor Armand Poirson, Public domain, source
- Lefkara lace: Cyprus Tourism CH, CC BY 2.0, source
- Persian miniature: 13th century CE painter, Public domain, source
- Eid il-Burbara: Durziil89, CC0, source
- Dutar: Yuet Man Lee, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Adloyada: ד"ר אבישי טייכר, CC BY 2.5, source
- Nabi Musa: Mujaddara, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Persian carpet: Jastrow, Public domain, source
- Sama: myself, Public domain, source
- Shemini Atzeret: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ta'ziyeh: Payam Moein, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Haft-sin: HengamehRM, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Niqab: Adam Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Kalpak: Prosopee, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Aleppo soap: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Hakafot: Meir624, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Jereed: anonymous Greek artist, ca. 1809, Public domain, source
- Simchat Torah: No machine-readable author provided. Merlin assumed (based on copyrigh, CC BY 2.5, source
- Torah reading: Sagie Maoz, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Kırkpınar: anonymous Greek artist, ca. 1809, Public domain, source
- Turkish folk dance: quinn.ayna, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Umrah: The original uploader was Medineli at English Wikipedia ., CC0, source
- Keffiyeh: Copyright World Economic Forum ( www.weforum.org ) swiss-image.ch/Phot, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Iftar: Shariful Islam (Masum), CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Henna ceremony: No author provided, CC0, source
- Hanukkah menorah: Musée d'art et d'histoire du Judaïsme, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- High Holy Days: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Kiddush: Dimitri, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bar and bat mitzvah: Peter van der Sluijs, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Oil wrestling: No machine-readable author provided. Math34 assumed (based on copyrigh, Public domain, source
- Kurdish dance: Kaiwan Moradi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source