The sanctuary of Fatima Masumeh is located in Qom, which Shia Muslims consider to be the second holiest city in Iran after Mashhad. Fatima Masumeh was the sister of the eighth Imam Reza and the daughter of the seventh Imam Musa al-Kadhim. In Shia Islam women are often worshipped as saints if they are close relatives of one of the Twelver-imams. Fatima Masumeh is therefore revered as a saint, and her sanctuary in Qom is considered one of the most important Shi'i sanctuaries in Iran. Every year, thousands of Shi'i Muslims travel to Qom to honour Fatima Masumeh and ask her for blessings. Also buried in the sanctuary are three daughters of the ninth Twelver Shī'ah Imām 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…
 
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