An online exhibition, exhibition catalog, and academic edited volume in one, this website offers an alternative museological space for exploring the Emamzadeh Yahya shrine complex’s many looks, functions, resonances, and stories over the last 700 years. The mirrored website in English and Persian includes six thematic galleries and about 70 contributions in various formats, including essays, films, digital interactives, and catalog entries. About 20% of the multilingual contents (English, Persian, and French) is available in translation. At the time of launch in January 2025, the website was about 90% complete.
The primary mission of the Emamzadeh Yahya Project is to increase awareness and understanding of the shrine complex and its dispersed tiles, collections, and archives, without pursuing commercial, political, or institutional objectives. Through our interdisciplinary collaborations and diverse modes of presentation, we chart an alternative course for how research is conducted and shared across disciplines, languages, and audiences. Through our curatorial interventions, we seek a more balanced and inclusive museological space for experiencing and exhibiting Persian art. Through our holistic study of one relatively small site, we offer a general exploration of Persian art and Iranian culture from the medieval period to the present.
The Emamzadeh Yahya Project is an independent research initiative created and governed by individuals beyond institutions. Directed by Keelan Overton since 2021, it has involved a research team dedicated to the shrine, a production team responsible for the website and academic publication within, and a cast of over 40 contributors worldwide. The website is an independent production of 33 Arches, is hosted by Khamseen: Islamic Art History Online, and has been partially supported by academic grants.
