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This paper targets the handling of dead people after two earthquake disasters in Iran: Tabas and Barn. Both places are located in arid and semi-arid areas of Iran. The high death tolls had a powerful impact on the narratives of Tabas and Barn survivors and witnesses. A thematic analysis of these narratives was performed, and various factors that impacted both the handling of dead people and the survivors’ resilience were identified. The paradigmatic landscape of beliefs, rites and funerary rituals were accompanied by other factors, such people under debris, fears of epidemics, difficulty in accessing the water sources, looting, non-identification of dead people and no earthquake disaster awareness and preparedness. Beliefs and cultural traditions are seen as vital resources for the resilience, but they may shape differently the resilience of survivors and the disaster management for handling of dead bodies, and some beliefs may impact the resilience in two different ways. Furthermore, practical suggestions on the both handling of dead people and survivors’ resilience are offered. The findings of this study adds to the lessons of handling dead people after earthquake disasters in Iran, to the agenda of earthquake disaster risk reduction and to the implementation of a sound disaster management and sustainable earthquake preparedness plans in Iran. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.