Rahian-e Noor ( fa, راهیان نور, ) 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 was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. It began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for almost eight years, until the acceptance of United Nations Security Council ...

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

Nowruz Nowruz ( fa, نوروز, ; ), zh, 诺鲁孜节, ug, نەۋروز, ka, ნოვრუზ, ku, Newroz, he, נורוז, kk, Наурыз, ky, Нооруз, mn, Наурыз, ur, نوروز, tg, Наврӯз, tr, Nevruz, tk, Nowruz, ...

- 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 ( fa, بسيج, lit. "The Mobilization"), Niru-ye Moghāvemat-e Basij ( fa, نیروی مقاومت بسیج, "Resistance Mobilization Force"), full name Sâzmân-e Basij-e Mostaz'afin ( fa, سازمان بسیج مستضعفین, "The ...

; its name was selected by military organizations of the

Iranian Islamic Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...

Supreme Leader of Iran The Supreme Leader of Iran ( fa, رهبر ایران, rahbar-e irān) is the List of heads of state of Iran, head of state of the Iran, Islamic Republic of Iran. The Supreme Leader directs the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, executiv ...

Ayatollah Khamenei Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei ( fa, سید علی حسینی خامنه‌ای, ; born 19 April 1939) is a Twelver Shia ''marja and the second and current Supreme Leader of Iran, in office since 1989. He was previously the third president o ...

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; fa, سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی, Sepāh-e Pāsdārān-e Enghelāb-e Eslāmi, lit=Army of Guardians of the Islamic Revolution also Sepāh or Pasdaran for short) is a branch o ...

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 ( fa, بنیاد حفظ آثار و نشر ارزش‌های دفاع مقدس) is one of the institutions of the Islamic Republic of Iran with the aim of pres ...

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

Robert Fisk Robert Fisk (12 July 194630 October 2020) was a writer and journalist who held British and Irish citizenship. He was critical of United States foreign policy in the Middle East, and the Israeli government's treatment of Palestinians. His stanc ...

's book

The Great War for Civilisation ''The Great War for Civilisation: The Conquest of the Middle East'' is a book published in 2005 by the English journalist Robert Fisk. The book is based on many of the articles Fisk wrote when he was serving as a correspondent in the Middle East ...

, 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 or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mo ...

. 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 ...

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". Hoveyzeh, Iran

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 be ...

and anti-

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

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 (also spelled Xuzestan; fa, استان خوزستان ''Ostān-e Xūzestān'') is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the southwest of the country, bordering Iraq and the Persian Gulf. Its capital is Ahvaz and it covers ...

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

headquarters Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...

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