ISLAMIC ART
Year:2008 | Volume:5 | Issue:8|Papers Count:14

Iranian rich literature had been historically full of epic themes and religious myths. The greatest and most remarkable among them is Shahnameh by Ferdowsi which inspired many poets and literary men during different eras, in order to create epic versified stories with national and religious themes, the style and method of Shahnameh was applied. Religious and Shiah epics are one kind of these versified stories that flourished with the coming of Islam to Iran when Iranians became strongly fond of Prophet Mohammad and Imams. And also a moral and spiritual relationship was created between them and the holy family. This event received particular attention of poets in various ages to illustrate bravery, courage and oppression of Ahle-beit Many stories have composed by poets of 11-13th/ 17-19thcenturies named Hamleye Heydari which have been used by religious narrators and scops. One of the most remarkable samples is Hamleye Heydari written by Molla-beman-Ali Raji-Kermani. It was composed in Qajarid times and under impression of Shahnameh. Its stories include the biography of Prophet Mohammad, biography and braveries of Imam Ali and also Karbla catastrophy.The aims of this essay are:1. T0 recognize the status of Imam Ali in Hamleye Heydari versified story2. To identify similarities and differences between illustratedversions of Hamleye Heydari in terms of style and content.Also, these questions are raised.1. What are the themes contained in Hamleye Heydariepic?2. What is the exact status of Imam Ali in Hamleye Heydari manuscript?

Iranian designing art is a part of visual arts in which different shapes and figures are created by paintbrush and ink on paper or any other surfaces, according to their lines and manners. Line in design art plays the same role as color does in painting. Such substitution gives an independent personality to designing art. Although Iranian designing art is a subcategory of painting, in general terms, in this essay, it will be studied as an independent artistic work of full content and aim in a way that separates it horn other visual arts. Designer artists had valued the line, as the main element in designing. By making Making the best use of lines as the main element, they preferred simplicity over naturalism in their works and tried to find out which line is more capable to transfer the concept or how to show hidden inside beauties with the simplest and the most suitable lines. The present essay sets forth the importance of designing art and the themes used by designers to represent symbolic concepts. It attempts in fact to answer these questions:1.Has special pattern or tradition been observed in drawing the themes?2. Has any political-religious structure influenced the existence and formation of designing works?3. Have they included any particular symbolic themes?Surly we encounter more secondary questions that are subordinated to major ones.The research and information compiling method are historical-comparative and content analytic. The method and toolsto collect information include: library, field study, and compiling samples of designing works from museums, private collections, and etc.

Qur’an is the most essential and prominent source of Islamic art. One of the important parts of this art is Islamic painting. Stories of Qur'an are among the most remarkable Qura'nic themes, so recognition of these stories and their narrative method deserves great attention. In Qesas-al-Anbia book, there are more explanations about the details of these stories, which are very interesting for and provides pleasant atmosphere to reader. Painters have a considerable status in the illustrated documents of Qesas-al-Anbiasince, along with the precise understanding of they did well imagination and pictorial narration in this regards. In the present essay, through exploring some samples it has been tried to perform a comparative study of contents in Qura'nic stories, putting an emphasis on aesthetic characteristics of them. Here the influence of cultural environments and intellectual communities to improve and enrich Qura'nic sciences and their interactions with painters are definitely perceptible. Such collaboration caused paintings to be very close to Qura'nic stories and yet combined with ambitious spirit of artists to create a beautiful world of cohesion and harmony between content and form.The main questions of the essay are as fallow: 1.To what extent the painter had been conversant and insightful with Adam story themes?2. How these themes have been visualized in forms of pictorial and personi field elements?Aims: 1. T0 recognize the theme of the story of Adam through aesthetics of related Qura'nic paintings:2. Visual elements and aesthetics of Adam story paintings in illustrated manuscripts of Safavid era.The method of research in present essay is documentary and librarian, done by study of pictorial and also Qur'an interpretation sources of Adam story.

Seyed Noor-al-din Nemat-Allah Kermani known as Shah Nemat-Allah Vali is a great sufi and favorite poet of 14 and 15/8 and 9 century who also is the founder of Nemat-Allahj sect and therefore received special attention by Timurid kings. After passing of six centuries from his death, he was still under consideration of Iranian Shiites and rulers so that we can see the continuance of Iranian architecture till Qajarid period in his mausoleum building complex. Since Safavid Shah Abbas (the first) and qajarid Naser-al-din Shah strongly devoted to him, his mausoleum was mostly developed in their ruling times. Morever, because Timurids and Safavids needed religious individuals to continue their ruling, they valued power full gnostic persons. Studding the mausoleum complex, we can not only get information about Iran's history and religious attitudes of then rulers, but also the religious personality of Shah Nemat-Allah Vali, the characteristics of mausoleum and its inscribed decorations are studied as well. The present essay attempts to answer these questions:1. What are the themes of inscribed decorations on Shah-Nemat-Allah Valli Mausoleum?2. What kind of inscription had been utilized in each part of the mausoleum?The aims of this essay are as follow:1. To study structure and characteristics of Timurid architecture:2. To study the biography of Shah Namat-Allah Vali3. To study the structure of his mausoleum and the themes of his religious and literary inscriptions.The method of this research is historical, descriptive and analytical.

Isfahan, one of the Iranian historical cities in Islamic era, experienced a flourish in architecture as a result of its special situation particularly during Safavid dynasty ruling. The city was provided with many mosques, palaces, bridges, streets and gardens alter it was declared as capital by Shah Abbass and its development continued through Shah Abbass (the second) ruling as well. The golden age of Safavid architecture coincided with the coming of Shah Abbass I to throne. Although it hardly can be regarded as the brightest age of architecture in Iran; it was an improvement period in Iranian architecture. Unlike the primitive periods of architecture, color and decoration played a great role in Safavid architecture. Many buildings remained of this era, are very beautiful and rare in terms of decoration and external form, although they are not so interesting in terms of architectural principles. Therefore, Isfahan buildings in that time can be considered an important source of study about decorational elements in Iranian-Islamic architecture. Beautiful places like Aliqapu, Hasht- Beheshtand Chehel-Sotun and also famous mosques like Imam and Sheikh-Lotf-Allah represent the glory of Safavid decorational architecture. Armenians, One of those groups who had been made to immigrate to Isfahan by Shah Abbass (the first). needed their cultural essentials to provide their moral and material life in Safavid Capital. So, their need of worship places, made them to get the permission of Safavid court, to build churches. Among churches Of Safavid era, Van, Beit -Lahm, Saint Maria, Saint Peter ..., et can be mentioned artists decorating these churches, influenced by Safavid architectural styles and they even used Islamic architectural decorations to decorate churches. In present essay, the impression of Safavid architectural decorations on the decoration of these buildings has explored. So the main aims of the essay are as follow:I. To identify architectural characteristics of Armenianchurches in Isfahan besides Islamic architecture of Safavid era:To study the nature and amount of Safavid architectural effectson Isfahan churches decoration. Also these questions are answered:2.How Safavid Islamic architecture has influenced the decorationsof Armenian churches in Isfahan?3. On which one of Safavid buildings or Churches of Isfahan such influences can be evident?4. On which parts of churches the styles of Safavid decorative elements can be better evident?The essay materials have been compiled from historical literature, documents, pictures and photos available. Arranging andediting has also been done through descriptive,analytical and comparative method.

Regarding long back ground of weaving art in Iran, one can find out its magnificence and grandeur in different historical ages. According to researchers, weaving cloth in Iran dates back to millenniums before Christ. Since Iranian art had always been introduced as a plain ground for other countries modeling, the influence of Iranian textiles is by no means an exception. In this research, through analysis of the cloth-weaving art in Safavid era and its influence on Ottoman, one of its contemporaneous civilizations or taking influence by it, is comparatively studied.The main base of the research is woven designs and figures in Safavid and Ottoman cloths. Therefore, we firstly study characteristics and methods of weaving cloth in Safavid and Ottoman era through categorizing woven designs into three groups including: plant figures, liny figures and human/animal figures. Then we study available samples of Safavid and Ottoman cloths comparatively. The researched aims in this study are as follow: 1.To study theme-designs and woven drawings on Safavid and Ottoman cloths: 2:To study the mutual influences of Safavid and Ottoman cloths and to describe, to analysis and to make comparison between these figures.

In the whole, line and design are combined with sense and meaning, this can be seen predominantly in Islamic art. Inscription with design have a stronger way of communicating and therefore it is considered as one of the main reasons for the application of this technique especially in the art of carpet weaving. Mysteries concealed within the designs which contain abstract and simplified patterns that are taken directly from nature and surroundings. These designs are accompanied with lively colors that appear on carpets woven by traditional weavers. The carpets convey their own story of traditions, cultural customs, artistic features, and religious beliefs to the viewer. The art of carpet weaving which goes back to thousands of years ago, visualizes the thought, cultures, and the idyllic of this nation. Taking its elements straightforwardly from nature it has managed to create a certain connection with the minds and thoughts of those perceiving it. This article is focused on the concept and meaning communicated from calligraphy and design in carpet weaving the nineteenth to twentieth century’s. The following questions will be answered:1-What are the type and concepts of line and patterns applied in Q1jar carpets?2- To what extent has the combination of line and design affectedthe conveyance of meaning and sense?