The connection between Sufi rituals and Zar trance rites
By Mohammadreza Beladi
The sea and seafaring and the dangers that have always surrounded sailors made it necessary for seafarers to rely on religious beliefs to achieve psychological security for themselves and their families.
Musical trance rituals to relieve mental anguish are still widespread among the natives and sailors of the Persian Gulf, such as Zar's séances. Zar is a trance rite performed with specific musical instruments and collective chanting to heal the person possessed by the spirits.
It seems that this ceremony is a remnant of African migrants and has Arabic-African musical origins, but I believe it has strong roots in the Sufi rituals of Iran, even in pre-Islamic Iranian beliefs such as Mani. The migration of Iranians and Sufi believers to India and Africa became the basis for redefining these rituals in accordance with other cultures and geographies, and rituals such as Zar and Nuban, and many others such as Guati in Pakistan, with different manifestations but using similar means (music, rhythm, and trance), pursued a similar goal.
In this video, I show how parts of this ritual (Zār) are connected to Sufi rites such as the Qaderi dervishes in Turkey and Kurdistan, the Sufi Dhamal in Pakistan and India, and the Guati-damali trance rite in Balochistan. In some African regions, e.g. Sudan, some types of this ritual are accompanied by a whirling dance reminiscent of the dance of the sama dervishes. Besides substantive evidence such as the same motif and purpose or poems used in the praise of Abdul Qadir Gilani (Jilani), which is performed in a wide geographical area from Turkey to Iran, Iraq, Africa, India, Pakistan, and Arab countries, there is also symbolic evidence that explains the Iranian roots of these rituals. According to some researchers, symbols such as hand movements and certain body figures seen in Sufi rituals such as the sama have their roots in ancient Iranian beliefs such as Mehr (sun) worship.
Apart from Bushehr and southern Iran, the Zar ceremony is also performed in all countries around the Persian Gulf.
Musical trance rituals to relieve mental anguish are still widespread among the natives and sailors of the Persian Gulf, such as Zar's séances. Zar is a trance rite performed with specific musical instruments and collective chanting to heal the person possessed by the spirits.
It seems that this ceremony is a remnant of African migrants and has Arabic-African musical origins, but I believe it has strong roots in the Sufi rituals of Iran, even in pre-Islamic Iranian beliefs such as Mani. The migration of Iranians and Sufi believers to India and Africa became the basis for redefining these rituals in accordance with other cultures and geographies, and rituals such as Zar and Nuban, and many others such as Guati in Pakistan, with different manifestations but using similar means (music, rhythm, and trance), pursued a similar goal.
In this video, I show how parts of this ritual (Zār) are connected to Sufi rites such as the Qaderi dervishes in Turkey and Kurdistan, the Sufi Dhamal in Pakistan and India, and the Guati-damali trance rite in Balochistan. In some African regions, e.g. Sudan, some types of this ritual are accompanied by a whirling dance reminiscent of the dance of the sama dervishes. Besides substantive evidence such as the same motif and purpose or poems used in the praise of Abdul Qadir Gilani (Jilani), which is performed in a wide geographical area from Turkey to Iran, Iraq, Africa, India, Pakistan, and Arab countries, there is also symbolic evidence that explains the Iranian roots of these rituals. According to some researchers, symbols such as hand movements and certain body figures seen in Sufi rituals such as the sama have their roots in ancient Iranian beliefs such as Mehr (sun) worship.
Apart from Bushehr and southern Iran, the Zar ceremony is also performed in all countries around the Persian Gulf.