A metal halide lamp has an arc tube (3) including an envelope as an arc tube container made of an oxide-based translucent ceramic material, and the arc tube (3) is filled with luminescent materials (17) comprising at least a cerium halide, a sodium halide, a thallium halide and an indium halide. Preferably, an amount of the cerium halide is in a range from 20wt% to 69.0wt%, an amount of the sodium halide is in a range from 30wt% to 79.0wt%, and a total amount of the thallium halide and the indium halide is in a range from 1.0wt% to 20wt% with respect to the entire metal halides. The arc discharge is spread, bending of the arc discharge toward the arc tube wall is suppressed, the metal halide lamp has improved luminescent efficiency, lowering of the flux maintenance factor is suppressed even after a long-time use and hues of the luminescent colors are corrected.