In Many Respects, Shiᶜism Constitutes the Most Important Element of Iranian culture since the Safavid rule in the sixteenth century. Shiᶜism not only presents a most divergent sectarian character in Islam, but also introduces a variety of rites and rituals, some of them well penetrated into the festive mode of thought of Iranians. The Encyclopaedia Iranica has dedicated numerous entries to Shiᶜite characters, rites and rituals in the first place, and to Shiᶜah thought and concepts in the second place. Looking at Shiᶜism as a culture, indeed, justifies the prominence of rituals. The community, in Heinz Halm's words, “is created through the process of rituals” more than “the profession of belief in dogma.” The Shiᶜite community, since the Safavid period, has been equipped with rituals that ensured a lasting cultural dimension for Shiᶜism. In our survey of Shiᶜism in Iranica, therefore, we deal first with rituals and symbols, second with juristic characters, third with concepts and titles, and finally with some general remarks on the issues.