Mafqud al-Athar in Sacred Defense literature refers to combatants whose bodies have remained in operational regions.

During the Imposed War, out of more than 196 thousand martyrs, the bodies of nearly 50 thousand, for various reasons including captivity and impossibility of moving and transferring bodies (due to unfavorable geographical conditions of operational regions, volume of enemy fire, etc.), their identities remained unknown and they remained Mafqud al-Athar.⁠[1] Also more than 1450 Iranian prisoners of war were martyred in Iraqi camps, the bodies of dozens of whom were buried anonymously in Iraq and became missing.⁠[2]

In the years of the Imposed War, operating units after the end of each operation transferred bodies of martyrs of operational regions to the rear through the Taavon unit; after acceptance of Resolution 598 and end of the Imposed War, in order to organize the status of missing martyrs, the Committee for Search of Missing Persons was formed in 1990 and in 1992 with approval of the Supreme National Security Council and General Staff of Armed Forces was formalized.⁠[3]

The Committee for Search of Missing Persons in the first step, based on information collected from wartime operational overlays, force statistics, information of commanders at different levels and combatants, prepared new overlays containing information of operating units in each region and number of bodies remaining in that region and searched operational axes.⁠[4]

Between 1990 and 2024, out of total 50,000 missing martyrs, bodies of 47,700 martyrs have been returned. Of this number, identity of nearly 12,000 martyrs is not identifiable which based on the plan for unknown martyrs, their bodies after funeral which usually takes place each year on martyrdom days of Hazrat Zahra (PBUH),⁠[5] have been buried as Unknown Martyr in martyrs graveyards, Imamzadehs, universities, garrisons and administrative and industrial centers and public places of different cities.⁠[6]

At present, search operation for bodies of missing martyrs in Iranian soil has ended and martyrs search groups based on agreement with Iraqi side and under supervision of International Committee of the Red Cross prepare annual operational table and individuals based on it are dispatched to Iraq to carry out excavation operations. In this framework, recovered martyrs annually 3 to 4 times enter the country through official borders.⁠[7]

Bodies of missing martyrs after entering the country are transferred to Meraj-e Shohada and after identification operations on them, martyrs who are not identifiable are prepared as Unknown Martyr for funeral and burial.⁠[8]

Until before 2002, bodies of martyrs were identified through signs such as cap, chafiyeh, uniform, belt, boots, socks, underwear, gaiters, accompanying items (such as Quran, photo of Imam Khomeini, etc.), grenade, water flask, military equipment and aid bag,⁠[9] but from this year, using genetic identification science from hard bone tissue, identification of martyrs through DNA sample was also put on agenda and identity of nearly 15 percent of martyrs recovered since 2002 was confirmed through this.⁠[10]

If after specialized examinations it is not clear whether bones discovered in Iraqi soil belong to Iranian martyrs or Iraqi military personnel, the discovered body is buried as Muslim deceased in a designated cemetery and does not enter the country.⁠[11]

It is predicted bodies of about 2200 martyrs still remain in operational regions.⁠[12]

Now there are more than 2,030 memorials of unknown martyrs graves in the country, most of which relate to Behesht-e Zahra (PBUH) Tehran with 4000 unknown martyrs. In terms of number of unknown martyrs graves, Tehran and Isfahan provinces respectively with 317 and 165 graves are in first and second rank and Kurdistan province with 4 memorials has fewest unknown martyrs graves.⁠[13]

Memorials of unknown martyrs in Kolakchal heights, Bilal Mosque of IRIB, Quds Mosque of Quds Town, Noor al-Shohada Hill and Davaran Highway in Tehran, Azimiyeh Karaj, Gavazang Zanjan, Oun ibn Ali Tabriz and Izheh Martyrs Hill are among most prominent unknown martyrs memorials in the country.⁠[14]

After precise examination of Iraqi camps and prisons and complete exchange of prisoners and return of all Iranian freed POWs to country, in 2005 with official announcement of Martyrs Foundation, missing combatants whose bodies were not discovered and identified were introduced as Martyr and Mafqud al-Jasad.⁠[15]

On 24 May 2022 in implementation of Articles 11 and 12 of Law of Accession of Islamic Republic of Iran to Convention for Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage approved 2005 by Islamic Consultative Assembly and Regulation for Participation in Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage of Cities and Villages approved 2021 by Council of Ministers, intangible cultural heritage of Unknown Martyr, Tafahhos, Tashyi, Yadman-sazi, Pasdasht and Ziyarat (national) with number 2679 was registered in National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Iran.⁠[16]

The cinematic film Sheyar 143 is the most prominent cinematic production about missing persons.