The Emamzadeh Yahya Project. Reflections on an Interdisciplinary and Independent Research Initiative and Online Exhibition
- Keelon Overton
- Date
- Wednesday 18 February 2026
- Time
- Series
- Material Culture, Art, and Architecture of Pre-Safavid Shīʿism
- Location
- Online Lecture
The Emamzadeh Yahya at Varamin (EYV) is simultaneously the burial place of Yahya ebn-e Ali (d. 869-70), a destination for ziyarat, a neighbourhood community center and cemetary, an architectural monument of Iran's Ilkhanid period (1256-1353), a cultural heritage site and tourist destination, and the original home of luster tiles now preserved in around fifty museums worldwide. The mission of the Emamzadeh Yahya Project (est. 2021) is to increase awareness and understanding of the shrine and its tiles, collections and archives, without pursuing commercial, political, or institutional objectives. In this talk, the speaker will provide a behind-the-scenes overview of the project's first scientific outcoms: a website that weaves between an online exhibition, exhibition catalog, edited volume, and multimedia production. To register, please email to a.santi@hum.leidenuniv.nl