The historic urban layout of Yazd, Iran, with its narrow partially-roofed alleys, appears as network of interior urban spaces. The only moments of exteriority occur through the larger urban plazas, known as tekyehs. Dating back to the pre-Islamic era, tekeyehs, like most urban spaces, are multifunctional and accommodate a range of public activities. But for centuries their main function has been hosting a very particular event that occurs only for a few days throughout the year, i.e. the mourning rituals of Muharram. To accommodate the grieving rituals, tekyehs are transformed to operate as a stage: The space is covered with a tensile fabric structure known as push, the walls are covered with black cloths decorated with scripture, the seating areas and the rooftop of the tekyeh are carpeted to easily seat the spectators, and the space is equipped with lighting and sound equipment to effectively host the event. The transformation of the space from multi-functional to program-specific, from a site for daily activities to an arena for sacred spectacle, and from exterior to interior also includes a shift from inclusive to segregated, in respect to gender. The tekyeh’s multilevel morphology allows for a vertical segregation of genders, in which the seating areas and the roof spaces are occupied by women who can easily see the performance without being seen. Unable to return the controlling gaze, the performing men feel conscious of and vulnerable to the female spectators, who enjoy a paradoxical position of power – excluded yet dominant, marginalized but still in control, pacified but not devoid of agency. Here, men, as objects of desire, try to attract feminine gaze through the visual pleasure of rhythmic movements of the male body, gestures of vulnerability displayed in their tears, and their portrayal of masculine strength through enduring pain. The three forces are complementary: identification with the performers’ pain brings a human dimension to the otherwise mechanical aesthetics of “mass ornament,” displayed in the geometric and calculated movement of the fragmented male body. The hyper-masculine exhibition of beaten hairy chests and moving sweaty arms telegraphs both desire and desirability with heteroerotic displays of affection, sympathy, and vulnerability framed within and against classical Persian and mystical Sufi formulations of homoerotic male love. In addition to this scopopholic dimension that exhibitionary format of sineh-zani in a tekyeh facilitates, the homosocial atmosphere of dastehs, as male-exclusive clubs, often provides opportunities for homosexual experimentation.