Museum

The study of Iranian shrines inevitably leads one into museum storages, galleries, and archives. This gallery presents many forms of collecting history and museological practice. In addition to illuminating some damages wrought to Iran’s cultural heritage, we highlight positive steps in preservation and education and spotlight some lesser-known collections.

Luster Market In the 1880s, Antoine Sevruguin took a photograph of luster objects and tiles on display in Tehran, including stars and crosses from the Emamzadeh Yahya. In this curatorial collaboration, we consider patterns of taste and collecting and track down some of these pieces.
Travels of a Mihrab The Emamzadeh Yahya’s mihrab is one of the most famous luster ensembles from medieval Iran and equally infamous for being stolen from the tomb. In this video lecture, Keelan Overton and Hossein Nakhaei consider its trails and travails over 160 years. Coming soon.
Photo Archive: Louvre In the 1930s, André Godard took important photographs of the renovated Emamzadeh Yahya. This film with archivists Alejandra Tafur Manrique and Martina Massullo takes us into the Godard Archives at the Louvre and offers a tutorial on the material supports of photography.
Luster Tiles: Doha The Museum of Islamic Art in Doha preserves nine tiles attributed to the Emamzadeh Yahya. In this film, curator Nicoletta Fazio introduces the star tile on display, activates its inscriptions through sound and animation, and provides a glimpse of the other tiles in storage.
Ashura Hall: Abyaz The Abyaz Palace is a museum of anthropology located within the Golestan Palace complex in Tehran. In this essay, art historian Negar Shariatnia explores the museum’s so-called Ashura Hall and its display of Twelver Shiʿi material culture and ritual objects. Coming soon.
Museological Futures What is the future of exhibiting Persian architectural heritage and material culture and studying Iranian sites? We leave this space open for future curatorial discussions, participatory initiatives, and the conclusion of this alternative museological experiment.