51Calligraphic finial, fragment of a ceremonial ʿalam

A metal finial

Iran, possibly early 20th century Bronze 7 15/16 × 5 1/2 × 11/16 in. (20.1 × 14 × 1.8 cm) Wereldmuseum, Amsterdam, TM-6303-5 Photograph courtesy of the museum

A photograph taken in 1958 inside the tomb of Emamzadeh Yahya shows similar metal finials (often called tigheh in Persian) on the horizontal crossbar of a ceremonial ʿalam—one on the far left and one on the far right (figs. 1–2; see Overton 2024 [fig. 12], Photo Timeline and Ritual Objects). The bronze finial has an invocation to God, the Prophet Mohammad and Emam ʿAli in a single calligraphic composition, and below is a pair of dragon heads. The textual combination alludes to the central position of Emam ʿAli in Twelver Shiʿism and his proximity to the Prophet and God. Dragon heads are also a common feature on ʿalams. An ancient symbol predating Islam, the dragon has taken on different meanings in twentieth-century Twelver Shiʿism, acting as a symbol for good and evil as well as referring to stories of martyrdom.

Figure 1. ʿAlam in the tomb of Emamzadeh Yahya at Varamin. Photograph likely by Myron Bement Smith, April 1958. Washington, D.C., National Museum of Asian Art Archives, Smithsonian Institution, The Myron Bement Smith Collection, FSA-2023-000001, detail.
Figure 2. Detail of the calligraphic finials on both sides of the ʿalam in the tomb of Emamzadeh Yahya (see fig. 1).

At the bottom of this finial is a screw used to attach the piece to its original ʿalam. Such small objects were easily replaceable and often detached and sold separately. Their handy size and attractive decorative shapes made them popular collectibles, and ʿalam finials can be found in many museum collections worldwide. The Wereldmuseum bought this finial in 2008 as part of a collection of fifteen finials from Iran, India, Macedonia, and Azerbaijan.

Sources:

  • Calmard, Jean, and James W. Allan. “ʿAlam va ʿAlāmat.” Encyclopædia Iranica, December 15, 1985 (updated July 29, 2011), https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/alam-va-alamat-ar.
  • Collinet, Annabelle. “Performance Objects of Muḥarram in Iran: A Story through Steel.” In Journal of Material Cultures in the Muslim World 1, 1-2 (2021): 226–47. [Brill]
  • Overton, Keelan. “Jane Dieulafoy in Varamin: The Emamzadeh Yahya through a Nineteenth-Century Lens.” Getty Research Journal 19 (2024): 57–91. [Getty]

Mirjam Shatanawi Lecturer, Amsterdam University of the Arts

Citation: Mirjam Shatanawi, “Calligraphic finial, fragment of a ceremonial ʿalam.” Catalog entry in The Emamzadeh Yahya at Varamin: An Online Exhibition of an Iranian Shrine, directed and edited by Keelan Overton. 33 Arches Productions, January 15, 2025. Host: Khamseen: Islamic Art History Online.