section_path: History of theatre/Medieval Islamic traditions
section_name: Medieval Islamic traditions
paragraph_text: Medieval Islamic traditions
  
  Theatre in the medieval Islamic world included puppet theatre (which included hand puppets, shadow plays and marionette productions) and live passion plays known as ta'ziyeh, where actors re-enact episodes from Muslim history. In particular, Shia Islamic plays revolved around the istishhād (martyrdom) of Ali 's sons Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali. Secular plays were known as akhraja, recorded in medieval adab literature, though they were less common than puppetry and ta'ziya theatre.