Baqqāl-bāzī (lit., grocer play, or baqqāl-uyīnī (same meaning)) was until the 1920s a popular Iranian form of satirical, improvisatory slapstick comedy ( maskhara , buffoonery, or tamāshā , spectacle), so called because the play's main character was a rich grocer (baqqāl) who was made fun of by his insolent servant, who was often represented as a black (siyāh). If the black servant had a major role, this type of play was called siyāh-bāzī . Baqqāl-bāzī , known since the 17th century, was heir to an ancient pre-islamic tradition of