The shrine of Fatima Masumeh is located in Qom, considered by Shiite Muslims to be Iran's second most holy city after Mashhad.
Fatima Masumeh was the sister of the eighth Imam Reza and the daughter of the seventh Imam Musa al-Kadhim (Tabari 60). In Shiite Islam, women are often revered as saints if they are close relatives of one of the Twelver Imams. Fatima Masumeh is therefore revered as a saint and her shrine in Qom is considered one of the most important Shiite shrines in Iran. Every year, thousands of Shia Muslims travel to Qom to honour Fatima Masumeh and ask her for blessings.
Also buried in the shrine are three daughters of the ninth Twelver Shi'ah Imam Muhammad al-Taqī.
I am Maarten Verhees. The focus of my photographs is on the variation of architecture, animals and people. I try to capture the essence of local places in photographs... Read more…