Timeline

This timeline highlights key events in the histories of the Emamzadeh Yahya complex and Varamin. The timeline is divided by major dynasties and regimes, and dates are presented in a variety of formats and calendars (Gregorian, Islamic, Iranian). Links in parenthesis at the end of each entry lead to related features on the website. For the visual history of the Emamzadeh Yahya, please see the Photo Timeline.

224-651: SASANIAN EMPIRE

ca. 821–873: TAHERID DYNASTY (ABBASID, 750–1258)

  • 255–56/869–70 Death of Emamzadeh Yahya (Yahya b. ʿAli). His place of martyrdom (qatlgah) is said to be south of the current Emamzadeh Yahya complex. (Yahya b. ʿAli, Site Tour)

ca. 1040–1157: SELJUK EMPIRE, GREATER IRAN

  • 11th century Abu al-Hasan ʿOmari ʿAlavi (d. 1073–74) mentions the existence of Emamzadeh Yahya’s grave in the vicinity of Rey
  • 12th century Prominence of Razi al-Din Abu-Saʿd Varamini (fl. 1160s) and sons (History)
  • 12th century Construction of a congregational mosque and two madrasas in Varamin, commissioned under the above family

1190-1220: KHARAZMSHAHI DYNASTY

  • 612/1215 Kashan-based potters Abu Zayd and Mohammad b. Abi Taher produce luster tilework for the tomb of Emam Reza in Mashhad (Checklist, no. 16)
  • 1220 Beginning of the Mongol invasions of Iran
  • 1228 Mongol siege and destruction of Rey

1256–1353: ILKHANID DYNASTY

  • ca. 1200–1330s Prominence of the Alavi Hosayni Varamini family (History)
  • Dhu al-Hijja 660–Rabiʿ II 661/ October 1262–March 1263 The range of dates on luster star and cross tiles attributed to the tomb of Emamzadeh Yahya
  • Shaban 663/May 1265 The date on the Emamzadeh Yahya’s luster mihrab signed by ʿAli b. Mohammad b. Abi Taher (now in Honolulu) (History of Evolution, Travels of a Mihrab)
  • 4 Safar 675/18 July 1276 Death of Malek ʿAlaoddin Morteza Hosayni Varamini, the wealthy governor of Rey
  • 688/1289–90 The date of completion of the tomb tower of ʿAlaoddin in Varamin (the tomb of the above) (Architectural Heritage)
  • 10 Moharram 705/2 August 1305 The date on the cenotaph panel naming ‘Emam Yahya,’ signed by Yusof b. ʿAli b. Mohammad and ʿAli b. Ahmad b. ʿAli al-Hosayni (now in the Hermitage) (Cenotaphs)
  • Moharram 707/August 1307 The date at the end of the foundation inscription within the stucco inscription wrapping the tomb of Emamzadeh Yahya and naming the patron Malek Fakhr al-Din Hasan Hosayni Varamini (Stucco Inscription)
  • Shaʿban 707/February 1308 Death of Malek Fakhr al-Din Hasan Hosayni Varamini
  • 711/1311–12 Coins are minted in Varamin for the first time in its history (History)
  • 722/1322 Construction begins of Varamin’s new congregational mosque by the order of Khajeh ʿIzzoddin Mohammad Quhadi (d. ca. 725/1325), a prominent figure in Malek Fakhr al-Din Hasan’s local court and a high-ranking official under Oljaytu (r. 1304–16) and Abu Saʿid (r. 1316–35) (Architectural Heritage, City Tour)
  • 736/1355 The death of Sultan Abu Saʿid (r. 1316–35) marks the end of a flourishing period for Varamin
  • 750/1349–50 (or possibly 730/1329–30) A yadegari (inscription memorializing visitation) is written in the tomb of Emamzadeh Yahya (Pilgrims)

ca. 1370–1507: TIMURID DYNASTY

  • ca. 1330–1400 Varamin experiences a period of decline but still functions as an important stop along eastern trade routes (History)
  • 1405 Ruy González de Clavijo (d. 1412) describes Varamin as unfortified and nearly depopulated
  • 1415–42 Prominence of the Chaghatai brothers Amir Elyas Khajeh (d. 1434–35) and Amir Yusof Khajeh (d. 1442), appointed governors by Shah Rokh (r. 1405–47)
  • 845/1441 Partial completion and renovation of Varamin’s congregational mosque under the patronage of Amir Yusof Khajeh

1501–1722: SAFAVID DYNASTY

  • 971/1563 A wooden door with important inscriptions, including Yahya b. ʿAli lineage, is made for and endowed to the tomb of Emamzadeh Yahya. It is dated Safar 971/September 1563, as inscribed on the door itself and later recorded by Eʿtezad al-Saltaneh (see 1863). (Textual Source, History of Evolution)
  • 988/1577–998/1590 Pilgrims continue to visit the Emamzadeh Yahya and write yadegari (inscriptions) on the walls of the tomb (Pilgrims)
  • 1086/1676 A tribal woman is buried in the Emamzadeh Yahya complex, and her dated tombstone is decorated with carvings of everyday items such as scissors

1789–1925: QAJAR DYNASTY

  • 1848 Jules Laurens (d. 1901) visits Varamin and draws the central citadel, reproduced in Xavier Hommaire de Hell, Voyage en Turquie et en Perse (Architectural Heritage)
  • 1851 Jules Richard (d. 1891) is appointed to the faculty of the Dar al-Fonun in Tehran
  • January 1863 Naser al-Din Shah (r. 1848–96) and members of his royal entourage, including ʿAliqoli Mirza Eʿtezad al-Saltaneh (d. 1880), the first minister of sciences, visit Varamin (Textual Source, History of Evolution)
  • 1867 Publication of Julien de Rochechouart’s Souvenirs d’un voyage en Perse, including his description of the luster tilework in the Shrine of Shaykh ʿAbd al-Samad at Natanz
  • 1873 The South Kensington Museum (now Victoria & Albert Museum) in London begins collecting materials directly from Iran. This is also the year of Naser al-Din Shah’s first European tour and visit to the Vienna International Exposition (World’s Fair). Luster tiles are displayed and sold in the Persian pavilion.
  • 1876 The South Kensington Museum receives star and cross luster tiles said to be from Varamin and attributable to the Emamzadeh Yahya (Handling Session)
  • 1876 Robert Murdoch Smith (d. 1900) publishes his Persian Art, including references to the luster tiles acquired from Varamin
  • 1876 Apparent Qajar edict banning Christians from entering religious sites
  • December 1876 Mohammad Hasan Khan Eʿtemad al-Saltaneh (d. 1896) visits Varamin. He describes Varamin as a ‘large village’ and Kohneh Gel as an ‘external quarter.’ At the Emamzadeh Yahya, he takes measurements, reads most of the inscriptions on the luster mihrab, reads two star tiles that had become dislodged from the wall, and speaks with the motevalli (caretaker). (History of Evolution)
  • Moharram 1294/January 1877 Completion of Eʿtezad al-Saltaneh’s biography of Emamzadeh Yahya (Textual Source, History of Evolution)
  • March 1880 Musée National de Céramique, Sèvres receives its first batch of Emamzadeh Yahya tiles
  • June 1881 Jane Dieulafoy (d. 1916) visits Varamin and takes twenty-nine photographs in the village. The Emamzadeh Yahya’s entrance portal is still standing, but its vault has collapsed. The conical tower on the west is intact, and the luster mihrab is in situ. A mollah and some locals are present. (Photo Timeline, Photo Album)
  • January 1883 Publication of Dieulafoy’s first Le Tour du Monde article, including Varamin
  • 1885 The “Exhibition of Persian and Arab Art” at London’s Burlington House includes a sizeable number of Iranian luster objects and tiles, including stars and crosses of the type attributed to the Emamzadeh Yahya
  • 1885–86 Jane and Marcel Dieulafoy (d. 1920) excavate Susa over two seasons
  • 1887 Publication of Jane Dieulafoy’s travelogue La Perse, la Chaldée et la Susiane
  • 1889 Naser al-Din Shah’s (r. 1848–96) third tour of Europe, including a visit to Paris and the Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair). Tehran-based collector Jules Richard (d. 1891) displays many works of art in the Persian pavilion, including tiles attributed to the Emamzadeh Yahya.
  • ca. 1880s Antoin Sevruguin (d. 1933) photographs a cabinet of luster tiles and objects in a Tehran home, likely that of Jules Richard. Included in the cabinet are stars and crosses attributed to the Emamzadeh Yahya. (Luster Market)
  • ca. 1890–1910 Late Qajar-period underglaze rectangular tiles are installed on the dado of the tomb of the Emamzadeh Yahya to mask the empty walls of the stolen luster tiles
  • December 1897 Friedrich Sarre (d. 1945) visits Varamin and takes a photograph of the exterior of the Emamzadeh Yahya complex. He is prohibited from entering the shrine. (Photographers, Photo Timeline)
  • July–August 1900 Mozaffar al-Din Shah (r. 1896–1907) visits Paris for the Exposition Universelle. He signs the third Franco-Persian archaeological convention, rendering perpetual the French monopoly on excavation and granting all Susa finds to France.
  • around September 1900 A group of tiles arrives in Paris, taken there at the order of Mirza Hasan Mostowfi al-Mamalek (d. 1932). The Emamzadeh Yahya’s luster mihrab is among these tiles intended for sale and possibly also display in the Exposition Universelle. The mihrab is not shown in the exposition but displayed in a boutique in Paris (see 1911).
  • ca. 1900–23 Major reconfiguration and partial destruction of the Emamzadeh Yahya complex. What remains of the original entrance portal and conical tower is demolished. The now isolated domed tomb is enclosed in smaller domed rooms on the east and west and an eyvan on the south and north. A new rectangular wall is built around the complex, and the tomb now sits in the middle of the courtyard. (History of Evolution)
  • 1906–11 Constitutional Revolution of Iran
  • January 1906 Sven Hedin (d. 1952) visits Varamin and records his observations of Kohneh Gel and the Emamzadeh Yahya, commenting on its stolen tiles. His companion, H. Byström, draws a road map indicating “Kuhne gil” (Kohneh Gel).
  • January 1907 Death of Mozaffar al-Din Shah and the return of Mirza Hasan Mostowfi al-Mamalek to Iran
  • 1909 Georges Bondoux and Georges Pézard, members of the French Archaeological Delegation in Persia, survey Varamin and draw an important map that will be published in 1911 (History of Evolution, Maps)
  • 1910 Publication of Friedrich Sarre’s Denkmäler Persischer Baukunst, including his general view of the Emamzadeh Yahya taken in 1897 and a photograph of its mihrab on display in Paris around 1900 (Travels of a Mihrab)
  • 1911 Publication of Henry d’Allemagne’s Du Khorassan au Pays des Backhtiaris, including a section titled “Histoire du mihrab de Véramine” (in reference to the Emamzadeh Yahya’s luster mihrab), describing how Parisians went on ‘pilgrimage’ to see it in a shop (see 1900)
  • February 1912 Henri Viollet (d. 1955) visits Varamin and photographs and draws the congregational mosque
  • October 1912 Hagop Kevorkian (d. 1962) travels to Iran to negotiate the purchase of the Emamzadeh Yahya’s mihrab, still stored in Paris
  • May 1913 “Exhibition of Persian Art & Curios” (collection of J. R. Preece) in London, inclusive of the luster mihrab from Kashan’s Masjed-e Maydan (now in Berlin)
  • August 25, 1913 Hagop Kevorkian writes a detailed letter to collector Charles Freer (d. 1919) in which he offers the Emamzadeh Yahya’s mihrab for sale and provides background on its acquisition (Travels of a Mihrab)
  • 10 Moharram 1332/9 December 1913 A pilgrim visits the Emamzadeh Yahya on the morning of Ashura and writes a yadegari in the tomb, describing it as a holy shrine (marqad-e motahhar) (Pilgrims)
  • December 23, 1913 The Stieglitz Central School of Technical Drawing in St. Petersburg registers the acquisition of over 900 luster tiles (complete and in fragments) from Paris-based dealer Clotilde Duffeuty in November 1913. Many star and cross tiles, as well as the cenotaph tombstone panel naming ‘Emam Yahya,’ are attributable to the Emamzadeh Yahya. (Checklist, no. 19, Cenotaphs, Luster Market)
  • 1914 “Exhibition of Muhammedan-Persian Art” (collection of Hagop Kevorkian) in New York, including the Emamzadeh Yahya’s mihrab
  • 1921 Coup d’état
  • 1921 Foundation of the Society for National Heritage (Anjoman-e Asar-e Melli)
  • 1923 Ernst Herzfeld (d. 1948) visits the Emamzadeh Yahya and is the first European scholar allowed to enter the shrine presumably after its major reconfiguration. He transcribes the stucco inscription. (Stucco Inscription)

1925–79: PAHLAVI DYNASTY

  • 1927 End of the French archaeological monopoly
  • 1928 André Godard (d. 1965) arrives in Iran to serve as the director of the Iranian Archaeological Services, Antiquities, and Museums (Photographers)
  • 12 Aban 1309 Sh/3 November 1930 Approval of the Antiquities Law (Qanun-e ʿAtiqat)
  • after 1930, likely early 1930s André and/or Yedda Godard (d. 1976) photograph the reconfigured Emamzadeh Yahya complex (Photo Timeline, Photo Archive: Louvre)
  • 1931 “International Exhibition of Persian Art” in London, including the Emamzadeh Yahya’s luster mihrab (Travels of a Mihrab)
  • 15 Dey 1310 Sh/6 January 1932 Registration of Varamin’s congregational mosque and tomb tower of ʿAlaoddin as national heritage
  • 9 Mordad 1312 Sh/31 July 1933 Registration of the Emamzadeh Yahya, by which time its conical tower is destroyed
  • 1934 Albert Gabriel (d. 1972) takes the earliest known dated photograph of the reconfigured Emamzadeh Yahya complex (Photo Timeline)
  • 1934–37 Construction and inauguration of the National Museum (Muzeh-ye Iran Bastan) in Tehran (Photographers)
  • 1313–17 Sh/1934–38 Construction of the railroad and several factories (sugar, oil) in Varamin (History)
  • 1938 Publication of A Survey of Persian Art (6 vols.), including the Emamzadeh Yahya’s mihrab
  • May 1939 Donald Wilber (d. 1997) photographs the reconfigured Emamzadeh Yahya complex (Photo Timeline)
  • April–May 1940 Exhibition entitled “Six Thousand Years of Persian Art” in New York, including the Emamzadeh Yahya’s mihrab (Travels of a Mihrab)
  • December 1940 Doris Duke (d. 1993) purchases the Emamzadeh Yahya’s mihrab from Kevorkian and installs it in her Honolulu home known as Shangri La
  • 7 December 1941 Attack on Pearl Harbor (Honolulu, Hawaii), in advance of which the Emamzadeh Yahya’s mihrab is deinstalled from the ‘Mihrab Room’ of Shangri La and temporarily put in storage
  • 1332 Sh/1953 Jane Dieulafoy’s memoir is translated into Persian by Ali Mohammad Farahvashi (d. 1968) and thereafter serves as a key reference for Iranian audiences for decades
  • 1958 Varamin is a destination for commercial photographers. Aerial photographs taken around this time confirm that Kohneh Gel remains a rural village relatively isolated from central Varamin. (Photo Timeline)
  • April 1958 An important ʿalamat (ceremonial standard with finials) is kept in the tomb of the Emamzadeh Yahya, as photographed by Myron Bement Smith. At the time, the shrine is the main ritual space of the Kangarlu tribes. (Photo Timeline, Ritual Objects, Oral History)
  • 1346 Ordibehesht/ Moharram 1387/ April 1967 Large Moharram processions are held around the Emamzadeh Yahya and recorded in a local film showing the sacred ʿalam of the Kangarlu (Oral History, Community)
  • 1970s The ʿalamat (see 1958) continues to be kept in the Emamzadeh Yahya (Photo Timeline)
  • 1970s The sacred ʿalam of the Kangarlu is stolen
  • 1978 Sheila Blair visits Varamin, inspiring a series of later publications on the Emamzadeh Yahya (Photographers)

1979–PRESENT: ISLAMIC REPUBLIC

  • 1361–63 Sh/1983–85 Multi-year comprehensive restoration of the Emamzadeh Yahya complex by the National Organization for the Preservation of the Historical Monuments of Iran (Sazman-e Melli Hefazat-e Asar-e Bastani-e Iran). Mohammad Hasan Moheb-Ali leads the preservation efforts, and Ataollah Rafiei produces three detailed drawings of the tomb. (History of Evolution, Photo Timeline, Preservationists)
  • 1370s Sh/1990s Major renovation of Varamin’s congregational mosque, including the entire rebuilding of the lost west side (History, City Tour)
  • 1389 Sh/2010 Endowment of a new zarih dated 1389 Sh/2010 to the tomb of Emamzadeh Yahya (Checklist, no. 5)
  • 1389 Sh/2010 The Emamzadeh Yahya is included in the Ganjnameh (vol. 13, part 3), published in both English and Persian
  • ca. 2013–18 New mosaic tilework is added to the main (north) entrance gate of the Emamzadeh Yahya complex, announcing the site as an astan-e moqaddas (holy shrine)
  • ca. 2018–20 Urban renewal to the north of the Emamzadeh Yahya complex, including the construction of a park with a memorial (Site Tour, History of Evolution)

Citation: “Timeline.” In The Emamzadeh Yahya at Varamin: An Online Exhibition of an Iranian Shrine, directed and edited by Keelan Overton, 33 Arches, 2024. Host: Khamseen: Islamic Art History Online.