ISLAMIC ART
Year:2012 | Volume:8 | Issue:15|Papers Count:14

Undoubtedly, the design and establishment of Masjid-ol-Haram and Ka’abah, the Qiblah of the Muslim people, are among the simple yet complicated architectures. Simple in the sense that it presents a clear communicative space and complicated in that it is based on the verses of the holy Quran including its place of establishment, the pioneer architect, and its overall structure. Therefore, it is believed it will have the most spiritual influence on the pilgrims.This article, searching through the Quranic verses and the narratives, aims to seek for the recognition of God’s specific will in the essence and idea of the Ka’abah and also attempts to understand how its constructors had built its shape from form. In doing so, a variety of recognitions would be scrutinized as the major part of man’s verity in perceiving that sacred place.Further along, it is attempted to show the perceived truth about the form of the architecture of the Ka’abah in correspondence with the cases of temporal and local brought forth by the scientific intellect achieved in other buildings; so that is this way the structure and presence of this holy monument and the appreciation of the architect can be better understood; therefore, it becomes necessary to have a qualitative focus on other significant disciplines such as ontology, episteme and science.Objectives: 1- Discovering the presentable perspective of the Ka’abah and its relation to the holy verses of Quran.2- Understanding the influence of the history of Ka’abah on its architectural structure and its presentable appearance. Questions: 1- What is the relationship between the intellectual and presentable apprehension of human beings and the structure of the Ka’abah?2- How has the intellectual and presentable architecture of the Ka’abah influenced its overall structure and other architectural monuments?

Scrutinizing the Fotovat Naméh in Islamic culture is amongst the best known rudiments for the cognition of Islamic art history and the relation between art and theology. Artists who endeavor in this rightful art, apart from having an occupation, venture in a religious act; therefore, such arts are never categorized as fancy or highly extravagant for they were strongly allied with sincere and theological standpoints. In past times, seniors and mentors of various castes attempted to write books about the chivalry of their professions and trades; such books were named as “Fotovat Naméh”. By investigating the context of such writings, particularly the Fotovat Naméh of Chitsazan, one can become acquainted with a complete and comprehensive nurture scheme that has paved the way for a major art revivification. In contrary, many arts lacked such a scheme and did not choose to have a Fotovat Naméh for their own specific trade; hence such professions are classified as illegitimate and dishonest arts.Objectives: 1- Investigating the degree of impact of Fotovat Naméh on Islamic art. 2- Introducing the main elements of the Chitsazan album.Questions: 1- Has religious knowledge influenced traditional art?2- How was the FotovatNaméh of different professions, first established?

The beginning of sixteenth century coincided with political unrest in Persia that led to migration of many of Persian artists to the eastern and western area of the country. A number of Persian artists travelled to the Ottoman Empire. Ottoman Ehl-i Hiref (Community of the Talented) are one of the reliable documents that provide considerable information about activities of a number of immigrant Persian artists in Topkapi-Saray art workshops. The importance of reexamining such documents is reinforced by the fact that many professions of the Turkish court in the initial decades of the tenth century hegira mimicked the Persian art workshops and were established by Persian artists. Therefore, it is hypothesized that immigrant Persian artists were present and their works are mirrored in such documents and workshops of the Turkish court.The purpose of this paper is twofold. Firstly, the immigrant Persian artists who were skilled craftsmen at book ornamentation will be introduced; secondly, their place and significant role in the flourishing of Topkapi-Saray art workshops will be discussed. Prior to the immigration of Persian artists to Istanbul (following the Chaldoran War in 1514 AD.), there were few professions and craftsmen in Topkapi-Saray workshops; however, after the arrival of Persian artists to Istanbul, the Ottoman arts flourished in both quantity of artists and professional artworks. Persian artists were countless in the fields of book designing particularly in painting, that they were prominent in comparison with other members of TopKapi-Saray art workshop. Studies on the Ehl-i Hiref documents show that the highest wage of Topkapi-Saray art-workshops in sixteenth century were paid to the Persian painters. The society of Persian painters in Istanbul was among the largest active groups in the first half of the sixteenth century; nevertheless, their activities gradually decreased in the second half, and approximately at the end of the century, reference of the names of Persian artists vanished in the documents.Objectives: 1- Introducing the Persian artists of the Topkapi-Saray art workshops according to the Ehl-I Hiref documents.2- Understanding the level and rank of Persian artisits in the mentioned workshops and their value and significance in promoting Ottoman paintings. Questions: 1- By examining the Ehl-i Hiref documents at Topkapi-Saray workshops, is there an indication about the presence of Persian artists in the Ottoman art workshops?  2- What is the place of Persian artists in the Topkapi-Saray workshops according to the document at hand?

Khorasan, a valuable land with immense vastness has witnessed the rise and fall of numerous monarchies; hence, it has had a definitive role in the historical and cultural happenings in Persia, particularly, in the field of art. The major cities of this region such as Mashhad, Neishabur, Herat, and Samarqand were the key centers for the production of artworks and each city has its own valuable history in the creation of such artworks. Historical monuments, rug weaving, pottery and tile-works were among the many arts that were created and pioneered in the region. It is also worth mentioning that one of the most glorious ages of this region was inherently during the reign of Timur and his sons in Mashhad and Herat. During his reign, arts flourished and the use of decorative herbaceous-floral and geometrical motifs embedded with calligraphy developed extensively. Such celebrated designs were used not only on pages of Quranic manuscripts but also adorned the colorful tiles on historical monuments. In this paper, by considering the role and place of Khorasan in Persia; the illustrations and illuminations of Quranic manuscripts of Herat preserved in museums and collections worldwide including the National museum of Iran, Detorit museum, The Turkish and Islamic Museum of Istanbul, Metropolitan museum, Astan-e Gods museum, Khalili collection and Chester Beatty museum- and the tile-works of the Goharshad mosque of Mashhad will be analyzed according to art techniques such as arabesque patterns, khatai designs, and geometric forms. The results indicate that the designs and patterns are supple on both tiles and manuscripts; furthermore, the harmony between the patterns on the illuminations of Herat and the designs of the colorful tiles of Goharshad mosque indicate that the designers, illuminators, and tile-workers of both areas worked in coordination. Objectives: 1- Classifying and comparing the decorative motifs used in the Timurid illuminated Qur'ans and in the tiles of Mashhad Goharshad Mosque. 2- Collation and comparing the decorative motifs applied on the illuminations and the tile- works based on visual and decorative features. Questions: 1- What forms of visual decorative features are observed in Timurid Qur'ans and in decorative ornamentation of Goharshad Mosque? 2- What are the similarities and dissimilarities between the decorative designs of Herat’s illuminations and those of the tile-works on the Goharshad Mosque of Mashhad?

Tekye places are architectural monuments that bear a religious purpose; they were constructed in the Qajar era throughout Iran and in particular in a number of villages in Mazandaran.  The roof and walls of the Tekyeh places are filled with various designs embedded with religious and non-religious concepts inspired by ancient Persia and the Islamic ages. The paintings take into account the local perceptions of the people; hence, painters of Tekye places endeavor to decorate this religious place of gathering in accordance with the needs of the people and the religious setting of the region; therefore, they illustrate scenes from the Ashura event, stories from the Quran, and concepts of good and evil. According to the researches carried out in this area, the main objective of such painters is to firstly respect the local beliefs of the people and secondly to convey the message of rightfulness and preserve the humanity values of the Ashura event and the lives of the Imams. Moreover, they focus on describing spiritual concepts in simple and expressive wordings combined with realism, cognition and symbolism.Objectives: 1- Understanding why artists chose such religious concepts to convey the message of Islam and humanity.2- Recognizing how artists convey such a message thorough the techniques of realism and symbolism.Questions: 1- Considering the religious beliefs, what are the main objectives of artists of local religious paintings in Tekye places? 2- What is the main idea behind the painting of Tekye places?

Yazd is situated at the heart of Iran within an oasis where the Dasht-e Kavir desert and the Dasht-e Lut desert meet. It endures a hot climate and because of generations of adaptations to its desert surroundings, Yazd is an architecturally unique city and bears important cultural and economic assets. It is also known in Iran for the high quality of its handicrafts, architectural ornamentations, and intrinsic arts. The harmony between the fragments of monument constitutions particularly the ornamentations and the influence of ancient designs have created cherished and durable works of art that expose the artistic tastes and cultural principles of this region. Splendid and genuine patterns can be depicted on the white and azure tiles of Yazd’s Jami mosque, the cool surface of the zilous, and on the blue and white potteries of Meybod. Research on the color and designs of such ornamentations depicts harmony of the patterns applied. Nevertheless, each item opts for a unique style that is particular to its background. In this paper, instances from each section; tile-works, zilou-weaving, and pottery painting, will be discussed and the links and relationships between them will be scrutinized. Objectives: 1- Introducing and discussing the patterns and colors applied on the tile-works of Yazd Jami mosque, zilous of Yazd, and the potteries of Meybod. 2- Investigating the degree of accord and concurrence among the mentioned items. Research questions: 1- What are the main colors and patterns applied on the tile-works, zilou-weavings and pottery paintings of Yazd?2- According to the perceived differences of the colors and patterns applied on the tiles, zilous and potteries of this region, do these items resemble a sense of similarity?

Although art historians argue that the initial centuries of Islam in Persia are known as an “artistic permutation”, one must consider that despite various research in the field, there is still little information about the arts and handicrafts of this specific time span; hence, any claims in this matter are inacceptable. For the purpose of this study, Persian metalwork of the early Islamic Persia have also suffered a lack of evidence. Nevertheless, the main substances of such metalwork are endurable material, hence, the insolubility of such items have provided archeologists with valuable information regarding the art and culture of ancient Islamic Persia. In this paper, a number of renowned metal items from the initial centuries of Islamic Persia are selected for analysis so that their artistic and cultural assets will assist researchers in understanding the possible fluctuations that might have occurred during the shift from the Sassanid era to the Islamic ages.   Objectives: 1- Analysis of the major artistic and cultural characteristics as a result of transfer from the Sassanid era to the Islamic ages.2- Analysis of the new techniques and changes applied on Persian-Islamic metalwork.Questions: 1- With transfer of power from Persian monarchs to Islamic rulers, what detailed changes occurred in the form, substance and techniques of the overall structure and ornamentation of Persian metalwork? 2- To what degree do the newly created metalwork of the time followed the recommendations of Islam?