The staging of a Saghakhane

The setting up of tekyeh dedicated to funeral ceremonies in private homes in the city of Borujerd and in the areas around it are called saghâkhâne (tabernacles). To do this, one or some room in a house is covered with black fabrics, and a wooden pulpit with a few small lamps is placed in the best place in the room. The walls of the tabernacle are decorated with portraits of the great Shiite martyrs and also with epic poems in honor of Imam Hossein. Usually these tabernacles are present from the first to the tenth day of the Moharram. The houses that enclose it in each alley are distinguished by the fact that they have a black or green flag at the entrance and also by the decorative lamps. In these places funeral laments are recited and the host offers guests various types of fruit, sweets and hot and cold drinks. These days, even in other cities, provisional tabernacles are set up on the sidewalks where food is offered for charity to passers-by.