Investigating the Representation of Mashhad as a Tourist Destination in Post-Revolution Iranian Cinem

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
hoda davari 1
hamed bakhshi 2
1 researcher at Tourism Research Institute of ACECR
2 sociology of tourism department, tourism research institute, ACECR
10.22034/jitor.2025.734943
Abstract
One of the determining factors in traveling to tourist destinations is the image that individuals hold of a destination. In this regard, cinema is considered one of the most influential media in shaping the image of different phenomena in the mind of the audience, including the image of potential tourist destinations. Accordingly, this study sought to identify the image of Mashhad as represented in cinema. To this end, all the movies that represent the image of Mashhad were collected. Then, using Fiske's semiotic model, the codes of social reality, representational codes, and ideological codes were analyzed in terms of visual characteristics, the director’s creativity, and the ideology and belief system underlying the legitimacy and acceptability of the codes, respectively. The findings of the study indicated that the representation of Mashhad in cinema could be divided into three general categories: The first category comprises identity-oriented movies, generating an appealing representation of the city as a whole and, in a sense, of Khorasan culture. The second category includes movies themed on pilgrimage, which themselves are divided into two groups: the movies focused on the pilgrimage of Imam Reza (AS), whose holy shrine catalyzes transformation and change, and the movies where traveling to Mashhad leads to the resolution of one’s problems. The third category consists of movies centered on social issues, representing problems such as poverty, marginalization, unemployment, and prostitution, class differences, and the dichotomy of poverty and wealth.
Keywords
: Destination Image
Post-Revolution Cinema
Cinematic Representation
Mashhad
Fiske's Semiotics
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  • Receive Date 02 September 2025
  • Revise Date 10 November 2025
  • Accept Date 30 December 2025