Rahian-e Noor (, ) is the group of religious and political caravans which travel between visiting zones in south and southwestern in Iran to commemorate Iranian efforts and lives lost in the

Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for nearly eight years, unti ...

. The caravans of Rahian-e Noor typically travel to war zones around the time of

Nowruz Nowruz (, , () , () , () , () , Kurdish language, Kurdish: () , () , () , () , , , , () , , ) is the Iranian or Persian New Year. Historically, it has been observed by Iranian peoples, but is now celebrated by many ...

- the Iranian New Year - and during summer vacation.

History

Rahian-e Noor was established in 1997 by the student branch of the

Basij The Basij (, lit. ''The Mobilization'') or Sâzmân-e Basij-e Mostaz'afin (, lit. ''Organization for Mobilization of the Oppressed''), is a paramilitary volunteer militia within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and one of its five ...

; its name was selected by military organizations of the

Iranian Islamic Revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Impe ...

Supreme Leader of Iran The supreme leader of Iran, also referred to as the supreme leader of the Islamic Revolution, but officially called the supreme leadership authority, is the head of state and the highest political and religious authority of Iran (above the Presi ...

Ayatollah Khamenei Ali Hosseini Khamenei (; born 19 April 1939) is an Iranian cleric and politician who has served as the second supreme leader of Iran since 1989. He previously served as the third president from 1981 to 1989. Khamenei's tenure as Supreme Leader, ...

visited the Iranian war zone in 1999 and 2002 to support the movement. In 2005, he ordered the creation of a

Sepah The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khomeini as a military branch in May 1979 i ...

subdivision entitled the

Foundation for the Preservation and Publication of Sacred Defense Works and Values The Foundation for the Preservation and Publication of Sacred Defense Works and Values () is one of the institutions of the Islamic Republic of Iran with the aim of preserving the relics and disseminating the values of the Sacred Defense ( Iran-I ...

to officially support the caravans. "Shade Of Earth" is a series by photography Abbas Kowsari; it has been compared

Robert Fisk Robert William Fisk (12 July 194630 October 2020) was an English writer and journalist. He was critical of United States foreign policy in the Middle East, and the Israeli government's treatment of Palestinians. As an international correspo ...

's book The Great War for Civilisation, which discussed the Iran-Iraq War and described public conditions of and reactions to the conflict. Kowsari's series portrays the hundreds of thousands of Iranian visitors during Rahian-e Noor, many of whom lost family in the war.

War tourism

Tourist observation of Iranian defenses of the Iran-Iraq War - known by Iranians as the Sacred Defence - is a key component of Iran's

tourism industry Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

. The memorial purportedly seeks to educate native and foreign tourists while they visit the war zones, although some regard it as a

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...

effort. Some tourism researchers attribute visitor interest to nostalgia and cultural factors.

Reception

During the 2010 Rahian-e Noor, Ayatollah Khamenei praised the event in a speech, saying, "Iranians should never forget about the sensitive, historical and honourable time of the Sacred Defence because it was a priceless experience". In recent years, the memorial has included seminars promoting anti-

Green movement Green politics, or ecopolitics, is a political ideology that aims to foster an ecologically sustainable society often, but not always, rooted in environmentalism, nonviolence, social justice and grassroots democracy. Wall 2010. p. 12-13. It ...

and anti-

sedition Sedition is overt conduct, such as speech or organization, that tends toward rebellion against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent toward, or insurrection against, establ ...

positions; this, in addition to multiple accidents resulting in tourist deaths, has led to heavy criticism by some activists. The memorial ended with no road accidents in 2013 while according to the Brigadier general Eskandar Momeni, chief of traffic Police,

Khuzestan Province Khuzestan province () is one of the 31 Provinces of Iran. Located in the southwest of the country, the province borders Iraq and the Persian Gulf, covering an area of . Its capital is the city of Ahvaz. Since 2014, it has been part of Iran's R ...

were among the top five with most road accidents in the same year. Central

headquarters Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...

of Rahian-e Noor took some actions to reduce the accidents among them prohibition of buses moving at night, devising rest places for drivers and participants, putting emphasis on using buses with high technical status and use of ''Emdad Yavar'' system.

References

{{reflist

External links

Information Center of Rahian-e Noor organization
Iran–Iraq War Iran–Iraq relations

History

War tourism

Reception

See also

References

External links