Public Story
Martyr is alive
The revolution in Iran happened in 1979 and paved the ground for the collapse of a monarchy system but many young people were killed for the revolution. One year later, 1980, a big war imposed by Iraq started against Iran which was named as the bloodiest classic battle of the century.
The war took 8 years and ended in 1988 by Iran's acceptance of the UN resolution 598.
During the long war, over 220,000 Iranian soldiers were killed. The occurrence of two important events of the Islamic Revolution and the Iraqi-imposed war against Iran as well as the existence of traditional and religious beliefs and important historical figures are among the effective elements in the Iranians' culture which make the issue of martyrdom bolder and turn the issue into a deep culture among the Iranian families.
The Iranians believe that anyone who resists on the right way and defends people and sacrifices himself is a martyr and remains alive. A martyr has saved many other lives by his death and therefore, the martyrs enjoy a great position in the Iranian society.
While they don't have any bodies, their spirits are alive and always live with their families and people. Therefore, many Iranian people believe that martyrs are sacred and live with them during their daily life.
Behesht-e Zahra in Tehran is the biggest grave of the Iranian martyrs which hosts the bodies of over 33,000 Iranian nationals who have been killed in war. The people in Tehran go to the tombs of their martyrs every week and live with them. They even hold the most important events of their life beside the tombs of martyrs.
The Iranian people visit the tombs of martyrs when marrying, celebrating their birthday and new year and holding mourning ceremonies- anniversary of the martyrs' death- or when they have some problems they ask the martyrs to pray for them and help them in their life and intercede for them before God after death.
These are the most important events which have turned the martyrs' tombs into a little paradise"¦ a paradise in which the martyrs are alive and host a large number of people every week.
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