2024 - The Emamzadeh Yahya at Varamin: An Online Exhibition of a Living Iranian Shrine, by Keelan Overton
Dr. Keelan Overton’s innovative project brings to life the multifaceted history of the Emamzadeh Yahya shrine in Varamin, Iran. Known in art history for its exquisite 13th–14th-century luster tilework—now scattered across museums worldwide—the shrine is still an active religious and community space, deeply embedded in local Iranian life.
This online exhibition, supported by The Barakat Trust and hosted on the Khamseen platform, will present the shrine’s past and present through a wide range of materials: scholarly essays, 3D models, oral histories, field recordings, and archival photography. The project adopts a bilingual (Persian-English), inclusive, and interdisciplinary approach, with a team equally divided between international and Iran-based scholars.
Beyond highlighting the artistry of the original tiles and their displacement, the exhibition addresses broader questions about heritage, museum practices, and the lived realities of Islamic sacred spaces. It offers an alternative to the typical “museum object” narrative by restoring context, community, and continuity to the shrine’s story.
Dr. Overton is a leading scholar of Persian art and a former museum curator. This project is set to be a milestone in digital Islamic art history, modelled on open access, equity, and meaningful public engagement.
