Prior to the Arab invasion of Persia 1400 years ago, the predominant religions practiced in Persia were Zoroastrianism and Mithraism. The Arabs spread the religion of Islam throughout Persia which radically changed the local way of life, norms and values. The majority of Iranians practice Shia Islam and Iranian Muslims, far more than others, hold frequent ceremonies commemorating the life and death of Imam Hussein – Islam’s third Imam – who is believed to have had a major impact on the stability of the Shia region.

Four years ago, in a location near my hometown of Kerman, a group of amateur Shia artists began the construction of several very elaborate installations on a large public complex. The installations are composed of statues and mannequins that reconstruct different epic scenes during the day of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein. The complex is now in a state of neglect as construction there ceased due to Iran’s Coronavirus lockdown and never resumed. The statues have begun disintegrate, disappear or be removed by local authorities. 

Shia Muslims believe that women have played a significant heroic role in the victory of Islam and this installation project was specifically intended to honor the women in battle during the day of the martyrdom. In every installation, however, the Shia artists chose to install hijab-clad male mannequins and statues to represent the female characters in the epic.

The Thirteenth Day  explores this instance of darkly comical irony  – emblematic of the whole of Iranian society – that is produced by the imposition of sharia law since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Sharia law’s obsessive regulation of women’s bodies, behavior and appearance instils a culture of abject fear in Iranians when it comes to the female form and its sexual and erotic possibilities. It is a fear so powerful that it forces these Shia artists to invent an alternative visual history of female heroism in which women nominally exist, but where the female form is practically impossible.