Director: Abbas Jalali Yekta
Cast: Shahab Hosseini
Shekarestan is a 2019 Iranian animated puppet series directed by Abbas Jalali Yekta, set in a whimsical imaginary city where every episode draws its material from Persian folk tales, classic proverbs, and timeless stories of the Iranian and broader Eastern storytelling tradition.
What is Shekarestan about?
In an old and fantastical city called Shekarestan — meaning Sugarland — a cast of puppets brings ancient wisdom to life through short, self-contained stories. Each fifteen-minute episode adapts a different folk tale or proverb, presenting its moral through warmth, humor, and gentle satire. The fictional city and its colorful inhabitants serve as a stage for exploring the values, quirks, and shared memories embedded in Persian oral culture. Episodes move quickly, blending playful comedy with the kind of storytelling grandparents once recited by heart. The result is an animated world that feels both nostalgic and freshly imagined.
Cast & crew
The series is directed by Abbas Jalali Yekta, a figure associated with Iranian children's and animated programming. Acclaimed actor Shahab Hosseini lends his voice to the production, bringing recognizable warmth and comedic range to the puppet world of Shekarestan. Hosseini is widely known to international audiences through his work in award-winning Iranian cinema.
Context & significance
Puppet animation occupies a beloved corner of Iranian broadcast history, and Shekarestan taps directly into that tradition. For diaspora viewers, the show carries the particular comfort of hearing folk tales and proverbs that once circulated at family gatherings — stories passed down in Farsi long before they were ever written down. The comedy is gentle and intergenerational, making it equally watchable for children and adults. Shekarestan also reflects a broader Eastern storytelling aesthetic, drawing from the same rich oral reservoir that produced the Shahnameh and One Thousand and One Nights, repackaged for contemporary family viewing.
Where & how to watch
Shekarestan is available on K-Time with original Persian audio. Watch it on the web, your TV, or your phone — no VPN needed, no geo-blocking, and no extra download required. A K-Time subscription gives you the full series; cancel anytime.