ISLAMIC ART
Year:2009 | Volume:5 | Issue:10|Papers Count:14

The word Ejdeha, or Ejdar or Ejdarha is the Persian equivalent for dragon. This mythological creature has appeared to be the symbol of evil within Persian myths and folklore, and is typically overpowered by the hero of the tale. In Persian paintings, the dragon is influenced by its Chinese counterpart, however, in other instances, the dragon is affected by European paintings.In Persian paintings, most of the analysis and scrutiny of the dragon is accomplished via symbolism and religious and mythological stories. It appears that the similarity between the snake and the dragon is a significant factor in the emergence of this creature in various paintings. According to the paintings and designs in hand, the paper is divided into the following groups: 1. Dragons-snakes 2. Dragons-snakes, two-legged creatures.3. Dragons-snakes, two-legged flying creatures.4. Dragons-snakes, four-legged creatures.5. Dragons-snakes, multi-headed creatures. Note that the role of the snake in evident in all five classifications.Questions raised in this paper:1-What is the base for emergence of various shapes and appearances of the dragon in Persian painting?2-How can the taxonomy of various types of dragons take place? Aims accomplished: 1-Studying the evolutional development of the dragon in content and form.2-The classification of dragons based on their physical appearance.Method of research is based on analysis and comparison on the appropriate chosen forms.

The main theme of this paper revolves around introducing the Persian footwear illustrated in paintings of the Islamic periods; especially the eras of Ilkhanid Mughuls, Timurid and Safavid. The remaining artifacts are the best treasury for understanding the specific type of footwear of each age. Related books such as the history of garments and the art of miniature are also dependable resources for gaining more information in this field; since one can become more acquainted with the specific trends and fashions of each era and their distinctiveness.The method of research is based on a descriptive and historical point of view and is accomplished through documentations and library research.Aims of the paper: 1-exploring the developmental progress of Persian footwear from the Ilkhanid to Safavid eras.2-understanding :the Sources of influence and imitation of various eras on the trends of foot-wearquestions raised in this paper: 1-Has Persian footwear undergone any modification or development?2-What the similarities and differences of Persian footwear-in various eras?The conclusion of this paper lies in the fact of introducing the significance of Persian footwear.Furthermore, by carrying out such researches, the fashion and styles of any particular era can be looked upon with a more specialized outlook.

The Persian history beholds epics of legendary warriors and heroes in ancient myths and tangible events. Epics portray the history, culture, and religign of Persia and illustrate the bravery, battles, joyance, and remorse of men who each can be considered as glorious icons of these traits. Persia throughout its 1400 years of existence after the emergence of Islam has been the dwell of the devotees of the Prophet and his kin. This love and dedication drew on the fact that Persians placed Ali, the sacriticer and self-giving companion of the Prophet superior to their mythical heroes. Furthermore, the main resemblance between valiant Persian heroes and dauntless Muslims warriors is their will to do-away with obscenity and impurity.These elements can be skillfully distinguished in the Khavaran Nameh the poetry of Ibn Hesam Khosfi. This set of poems and its illustrations are the best among Shi'ah poetry according to its literary and artistic features. Khavaran Nameh focuses on the life and braveries of Ali and is complied according to the Shiraz school in the Turkmen era in the fifteenth-century. This manuscript beholds 155 paintings which 115 of its paintings are currently preserved at the Golestan, Palace Library.This paper focuses on introducing the epical, national and religious features of the paintings of Khavaran Nameh. Additionally, they are compared with the most significant epic of Persian history, the Shahnameh. Fourteen paintings of this manuscript have been selected and will be analyzed. This paper is complied via a historical, analytical, and descriptive method and data is gathered through library research.Questions raised in this paper: 1-What are the epical, national, and religious features of the Khavaran Nameh?2-What are the main similarities between the Khavaran Nameh and Shahnameh?

The Baghdad school of painting, from the beginning of the reign of the Abbassi Caliphs, was considered as the major painting school of Islamic paintings; it was centered on illustrating books with scientific and technical contents. In this specific period, a prohibition on illustrating human figures was introduced by the government; and therefore, painters and artists were forbidden to draw faces or human bodies. However, these principals were considerably altered after the invasion of Baghdad by various powers such as the Al-jalayers, Safavids and Ottomans.In the Al Jalayers and Ottoman empires, artists began and accomplished the illustration of literary w6tks such as the collection of poems by Khajoo Kermani and Sultan Ahmad Jalayeri and other religious and spiritual literary pieces. The Baghdad school of painting in the Ottoman era was highly influenced by the Shi'ah beliefs and the broad outlooks of the Safavids and many stories regarding the life of the Prophet and Ali were depicted.Considering the developmental progress of the Baghdad school of painting, the main achievement of this paper is focusing on religious paintings of the1nanuscripts of Seyr-al Nabi, Hadighat al Shohada, Nafahat-al Ons, Moghtal-al Rasoul, and Savagheb Managheb of the Ottoman Empire.Aims: 1.Understanding the characteristics of the Baghdad school of painting.20 Recognizing Shiah concepts in the paintings of AI-Jalayers and the Ottoman Empire.Questions raised in this paper: 1.What are the central Shi'ah concepts of Baghdad's illustrated manuscripts?2.In what specific eras of the Baghdad school were Shi'ah elements applied the most?3.What are the main visual and artistic features of the illustrated manuscripts of Baghdad school of painting based on Shi'ah concepts?

Book illustrating, in particular literary, scientific, historical; and religious books, has created immense achievements in the art of the book in Islamic periods. One of the significant eras is the Ilkhanid period which is the starting point for the development of illustration. In this era, momentous attention was bestowed to religious contents such as holy books of Christianity, Judaism, and above all Islam. The existence of religious signs ,.and symbols of various religions can be distinguished in the manuscript of lame-al Tavarikh by Rashid-al Din fazl Allah, the minster of Ghazan Khan. This paper focuses on religious paintings and the stories of the prophets from Adam to Mohammad (pbuh) extracted from the lame-al Tavarikh manuscript.Aims of the paper: 1-An aesthetical and interpretational analysis of the religious paintings of Jame-al Tavarikh manuscript.2-Introducing the remaining pages of the manuscript in libraries and museums worldwide.Questions raised in this paper: 1-How can we define the influence of the Ilkhanid Moguls on Persian art and culture, especially painting?2-What era influenced the art and culture of the Ilkhanids?3-What are the main characteristics of religious content in Ilkhanid paintings?

Man has always endeavored to convey messages. These messages can be social, cultural, ethnic, or religious. One of the unsurpassed methods, mainly in expressing religious concepts is illustrating books and scripts. Hence, the script of books and its illustrations have been given significant attention even from pre- Islamic ages. This importance has strengthened after the emergence of Islam when artists began illustrating pages of the holy Qur'an.The Timurid era is renowned for its art in writing and illustrating the Qur'an. Hence, script and calligraphy were considered as highly elaborated arts; the Nastaliq Was first established in this era by Mirza Ali Tabrizi and many other calligraphers created novel ways of writing. Naskh, Thulth, Toghi, and Regha and at times Nastaliq were applied in translating the Qur'an and Kufi writing was applied on the titles of surahs. The magnificence of these valuable Qur'ans inspired many artisits of the age especially princes and rulers of the Timurid such as Baysonghor Mirza and Ibrahim Sultan.Therefore, the focal point of this paper is analyzing the characteristics of Timurid scripts and illustration of books. Difficulties in reaching Quradic manuscripts of Timurid era in national and international collections will also be explained.Aims: 1-Introducing the Qurans of the Timurid era in museums and global collections.2-Investigating the script, illumination and traits of the Timurid Qur'ans.Questions raised in this paper: 1-What is the quantity of Timurid Qur'ans in national and international collections?2-What are the significant characteristics of the art of book writing and illustrations in the Timurid era?

Many paintings in the history of Persia are devoted to the event of "The fire ordeal of Siavash." Two hundred remaining images of this occurrence support this claim. Although "the fire ordeal of Siavash" is mostly depicted in the shiraz school of painting, it endured a strong presence in other schools.The existence of this vast number of paintings, all having a similar thematic focus, can give researchers the opportunity to appreciate the visual motifs and the specific distinctiveness of each school of painting. The present paper is focused on a descriptive, analytic, and comparative study that will analyze the various samples of this painting and shed light on the traditions and visual elements of each school and era. It is evident that the artistic traits of each style covers a main theme and therefore requires a certain utilization of motifs, colors, and explicit combinations.Question raised in this paper: 1-How can the main doctrines and principals of a certain school of painting influence a particular topic such as "The fire ordeal of Siavash"?Aims: 1-Recognizing the main features of aesthetics in Persian painting.2-Analyzing the degree of the artists' allegiance of various schools to the context and the application of symbolic motifs.3-Introducing a number of paintings all containing the "The fire ordeal of Siavash."