Although the concept of demon has faced ups and downs throughout the history of Persian culture, but it has gradually become a symbol of the devil and the force of evil that stands against the front of goodness. In various literary sources and socio-cultural roots, we see that the demon on the one hand has a divine status and on the other hand has gradually acquired human qualities. One of the goals of this research is to find out what qualities have been created for the demon in Iranian literature and art in this evolutionary process. But, what is the main motivation of the researcher is to survey the drawings and literature to achieve the qualities that the demon deserves as a creature that, along with power, has intelligence and ingenuity; a creature that the Iranians once considered worthy of worship and had a godly status and then in a complete rotation has become a symbol of the devil. However, it is still so great that the defeat of the demon at the end of Haft Khan Rostam is the cause of his evolution. Shahnameh, as the greatest epic work of Iran, has always been the source of artistic creations, and throughout history, painters have chosen the stories of Shahnameh as the subject of the work. Demons not only play roles as the evil creatures in Shahnameh stories, but also they have key roles in many of them. And according to this, the analysis of demon illustrations over time can provide insights into the cultural and artistic conditions of various historical periods and Iranian painting schools. This article aims to understand the analytical historical course of the concept and the role of demon in literature and Shahnameh and its consequences in Shahnameh illustration in the following questions: 1) in the historical course, what are the changes to demon illustration in contrast to its role in literature? 2) What are the formal and visual features of demons image in Shahnameh pictures?The research method has been descriptive and analytical, using library sources to collect data. In fact, by examining the historical course of the demon image in the Shahnameh, we want to list the formal and apparent elements that can be found as repetitive patterns. It is also an attempt to approach the view and imagination of the Iranian painter when creating the role of the demon by analyzing the historical analysis of the demon in Iranian culture, which is mostly through literary narrations and specifically the Shahnameh. To this aim, the famous Shahnameh manuscripts of Iranian art history from the rule of the Mongols and specifically the Injus until the end of the Qajar period were studied.  The statistical population of the study consisted of 5 Shahnamehs, 733 AH, Baysunghuri, Joki, Tahmasebi and Shahnameh Davari, and 8 paintings containing demons image, which have 4 White demons, 2 Akwans, 1 Arjang and 18 other demons. The results of the study show that demon illustration became a special identity by repeating the visual traditions of the painters. Apparent traits such as the shape of the limbs, the manner of covering the demon, the type of jewelry, and the use of semi-human semi-animal compounds in the shape of the skull and the appearance of the demon have become recurring common factors, and over time have brought the demons’ features in the Shahnameh paintings closer together. Also, visual details such as the material of loincloth, shape of the jewelry, and texturing of the skin of demons’ bodies can be observed among other features in the course of historical development of demon illustration; initially we find them to be considerably simpler which in more recent Shahnamehs have changed and became more pleasing to the eye. On the other hand, while adhering to the demons’ characteristics of the Shahnameh as well as the oral traditions, the painters have prioritized the tradition of painting and artistic creativity in some cases. Negative traits such as violence and mischief have also been created by utilizing predatory animal components such as lions or cats and dogs, while the use of human traits in demons can be attributed to the demons’ positive traits, such as being a teacher, being a musician, and commanding. In parallel, the creative minds of some painters caused the demons to escape the trap of monotony; this means that besides the commonalities of the demons in the illustrations of the analyzed Shahnamehs, we do not see any two demons that look like copies. Creating a mythical and unreal creature like a demon is not possible only through the attributes mentioned in literature and requires creativity and innovation, and the results showed that artists in different historical periods paid attention to this point.

In some Middle Persian texts, there is a story about Gayōmart which is not mentioned in older texts such as the Avestan texts, and also it is difficult to find evidence of it in Persian and Arabic epics. This story refers to the killing of a demon named Arzūr by Gayōmart, the work which is counted among the most important works of Gayōmart on the day of Khordād of the month of Farvardīn (the sixth day of month Farvardīn). In addition, in Avesta, Arzūr is the name of a mountain where the demons gather and in Pahlavi texts such as Bundahišn, Šāyist Nē-šāyist and Pahlavi Rivāyat, it has been mentioned as the gate of hell and the passage of Ahreman and demons. In this article, an attempt is made to explain the relationship between mount Arzūr, the door of hell and the demon Arzūr, by searching for the name Arzūr in Avestan and Middle Persian texts, and also in the Šāh-nāma and Ātār al-Bāqīah. As far as the author is concerned, Šāh-nāma story can be reconstructed with respect to Pahlavi sources and Bīrūnī’s account like this: Gayōmart killed Kharzūr/Arzūr’s demon; After that, Ahreman sent Kharzūrān (= son of Kharzūr) to fight with Gayōmart and in this battle, Siamak was killed. Finally, Siāmak’s son took revenge on Kharzūrān and killed him.

Mural painting is one of the prominent and noble arts of the Qajar period, which was formed in the form of painting on surfaces such as tiles, plaster and wood. Attention to antiquarianism and religious issues in this period led to the creation of works in which the role of Ahriman and Demon drew most of the attention of artists and rulers of the time. Patterns that can be investigated not only in regards to their narrative aspect but also in terms of morphology. The purpose of this research is to investigate the shape and anatomy of the images of demons in the public art of wall paintings of the Qajar period. By examining 14 selected samples from Qajar wall paintings through documentaries and field data in a qualitative manner, based on a descriptive-analytical approach and visual sources, the authors intend to answer the following question: What kind of thoughts and beliefs is the cast and body of the demon in the general art of the Qajar period based on? The findings show that the motifs that adorned public buildings such as shrines, baths, and religious buildings in the Qajar era did not have a scary and dark image. In other words, the idea of a demon in people’s minds being imagined as a formidable, terrifying and scary creature, suddenly changed and it was seen as a gentle, harmless, compassionate, humorous, smiling creature, sometimes with female erotic organs and even being well-dressed beings who were decorated with beautiful colors and even hung ornaments on themselves. This was an expression of traditionalism in women’s social life in this period. The findings of the research show that the four concepts of women, nature, primitive and alien transcendental beliefs underwent deep changes in the mind and thought of Iranians during the Qajar period.

Epistemologists in various theories of epistemic justification attempt to respect the intuition that lies at the new evil demon problem. One of the most important problems that external theory has in justification is the conflict of these theories with the intuition that lies in the new evil demon problem. Recently, Moon has tried to raise this problem against moderate internalists by argument. If Moon’s argument is correct, most internalists face the same problem. In this article, I discuss and evaluate Moon’s argument and the answer given to it in defense of internalism. While examining this issue, I increase the accuracy of the internalists’ response to this problem. In addition, I show that Moon’s argument against internalists is not correct.

A popular belief common among all nations is the conflict between good and evil forces, the division of the world into two zones of light and darkness, and the belief in the perpetual battle between the good (divine) and the evil (devil) phenomena, a battle to continue as long as life shall last, in which the final victory will be that of the light. Such a view can also be traced in the myths, religions, and even thoughts of the modern world. The objective of the present research is to investigate the origin of one of the parties involved in this battle: the evil forces and demons in Persian literature. To this end, it pursues the origins of such a thought in the Western Asia and the Mesopotamian civilization, the influence of which is undeniable on the Iranian culture. This study attempts to demonstrate the changes that took place in the above beliefs through the course of the time and the changes of geographical regions. The study is supported by the fact that the belief has passed both through the filtering of a reformer like Zoroaster and the culture of Islam as a religion. Meanwhile, the increasing awareness of man through the time and his dominance over the nature and his surrounding environment has also played a role in the evolution of this belief as compared with its early origin.

AbstractProblem statement: There is a similarity between images of the sacrificing of the sacred bull in Mitra’s religion painted in the ancient era and the pictures of Rostam’s battle with the white demon in the images of coffee houses in visual and pictorial characteristics that can be recognized by studying them. This similarity and formal connection is a suitable case for matching and checking the type of composition and the visual and image characteristics of these paintings. Considering that the image of the battle between Rostam and the white demon has some similarities with the scene of the sacrificing bull by Mitra-Mehr, both battles took place in the cave, and in general, the cave was sacred and had an important place in different religions.Research objective: By achieving the type of relationships and effects in the elements used in the composition system, such as the type of sitting and standing of figures, guiding lines, and other visual elements, the comparison of works with a qualitative nature has been done.Research method: The type of research is fundamental-theoretical and the research method is descriptive-analytical. Data including the author’s archive were collected the library research method.Conclusion: The coffee house painters have drawn (the scene of the killing of the white demon by Rostam) according to the previous patterns in the past painters’ works. These effects are evident in the triangular composition system, the sitting position of the figures on the defeated creature (bull and white demon), and the presence of daggers in the hands of Mitra and Rostam. One of the common features of the paintings is the visual representation of the manpower of good and evil. Although the belief in the existence of light and darkness is rooted in the ancient beliefs of Iranians, it seems that the viewpoint of the painters and their attention to good and evil is taken from the Shahnameh.

The book of “Aja’ieb al-Makhluqat va Ghara’ieb al-Mawjudat Qazwini” is one of the descriptive incredible phenomenon and phenomenal fantastic creatures' references and resources that during centuries which consider by authors. Arabic and Persian's encyclopedias refer a lot to phenomenal and fabulous creatures in “Aja’ieb al-Makhluqat va ghara’ieb al-Mawjudat”.This book divide to three parts: First part is astronomy and cosmogony works, second is weather and a world with its inhabitants and third is herbal, organic and concrete. In this book in addition of phenomenon and incredible lands describe different kinds of phenomenal and fabulous creatures: various composites imaginary creatures, demons, geniis, giants …Whatever pay attention in this research is exact outward structure and behavioral description of these creatures especially three kids of giant, geniis and demons. In the book sometimes also some traditional, religious or narrative roots is presented in detail.As regards there is no comprehensive research about this subject; this article could help to understand public opinion about these imaginary creatures.Questions that we try to find answers:- In view of symbolic and behavioral aspects which kinds of demons, sprites and giants are describe in this book.- In point of the Physical form, how is their structure and appearance.giants and genii and demon have many different types and efficiencies, such as Nasnas, Shaq, Davalpa and Sa’ala. Their outward's structures are a combination of human and animal.Their dreads were like humans with animalistic characters or with animalistic outward and habits and human’s behavior. Therefore, it can say that include two main compositions: “human-animal”, “animal-human”. The method of research is according library, descriptive and comparative, and different manuscripts in the Astan-e-Qods Razavi library (Mashhad) and other prescription, describe and compare some other versions.

Sogdian painting in terms of both content and form has a direct relationship with Persian painting and its roots such as the Sasanian art of and Manichaean art as well. In other words; the opinion of those Russian art researchers who know the art of Transoxiana (also called Fararud / Ma Wara'un-Nahr) apart from Iranian art is incorrect, since this art is indeed part of Persian art, but independent from the Sasanid Court.Being far from the power center not only led the rich Sogdian artists to be more creative, but it made also possible for them to loan some artful elements from the neighboring lands and mix them with those of Sogdian art.Moreover, this distance made it possible to preserve the past heritage in different dangerous situations like Alexander or Arabs attacks, and it was reasonable that the first intellectual, cultural, and art movements of Iranian started from the Great Khorasan and Fararood. Hence, Sogdian art had latitude in portraying folklores, mythical- athletic legends and women's stories; the subjects which never found the chance of appearance in the official or Sassanid courtier art.Sogdian painting, with the consideration of its executive style and the themes in common with those of Persian painting, could have been an inspiring source for the Iranian art. This inspiring headspring has neither the fundamental difference of themes and aesthetic nor the time distance with Byzantine art .Moreover, it has also no Ideological and color bases differences with Chinese art and the themes’ maladjustment or the Hirbodian mood of Manichaean art as well.Objectives:1- Looking for origin of Persian painting of Islamic era.2- Understanding the similarities between Sogdian painting and Persian illustrations.Questions:1- What similarities exist between Sogdian and Persian miniature painting?2- How it is possible to indicate the relationship between Sogdian and Persian miniature painting, and to express this trade?3- What was the role of Khorasan and Fararud or in other words, the East of Iran in this process, particularly facing with the invasions of these nomads?

Fire temples and square domes are undoubtedly of special importance in archeological studies into the religious aspects of the Sassanian era. As Zoroastrian monotheists, Sassanians considered fire as sacred and over five centuries their kings built a large number of fire temples and square domes across the Persian Empire. The newly-discovered square dome called Demon House is one of the most important square domes of the Sassanian era. Citing Pahlavi texts and Avesta, both foreign researchers and Iranian archeologists have introduced it as one of the three major fire temples of the Sassanian age known as Azar-Barzin-Mehr. Though archeological excavations at the site of this dome did not provide enough evidence to prove that claim, studies show it was the nucleus of a greater structure that used to be made up of four stone pillars, a circumambulation corridor, Padiav, a fire-place platform and a waiting room. The location of the square dome in a small stone mound among the heights of Rivand is quite unique and of extraordinary importance in studying Sassanian fire temples. Considering the significance of fire temples in religious studies pertaining to the Sassanian era and since the aforementioned structure had not been subject to any archeological excavation before, an Iranian-Polish archeological team studied the demon house square dome for the first time over two seasons.This paper has introduced the architectural elements discovered in the Demon House square dome and as part of a greater archeological study into religious structures in the Sassanian ear provides some notes about the significance and position of the Azar-Barzin-Mehr fire temple based on Pahlavi texts.

Stories, tales, and myths follow a certain trajectory, which is called the structure of folktales. These stages are consistent with human psychology and the stages of evolution of human society throughout history. Any adjustments, personal interests and literary styles have not prevented the structures of folk tales from being overshadowed or dying. Knowing the causes of formal and conceptual changes in the Shahnameh paintings of the Qajar period with the subject of "Rostam and the White Demon", is the main goal of the research in line with documentary studies. In the process of research, the authors had to ask themselves that, despite the stability in the form and concept of "Rostam and White Denon" paintings for hundreds of years, what context and motives have led the artists to adopt new methods. The authors of this essay studied the story of Haft Khan Rostam in the Shahnameh in three stages, the folk oral source, the literary text of the Shahnameh, and the desire to see the hero in the same primary folk structure, and with a descriptive-analytical review with theoretical exploration, 21 selected images from The two Qajar periods and before that with the subject of "Rostam and the White Demon" in a qualitative way, have come to the conclusion that the artist of the Qajar period, in a favorable response to the public desire and following the collective unconscious, represented the last demon of the story in such a way that this imaginary creature has a face and Feminine behavior has been accepted and she has been spared in the character of a lover. This has been done as a result of the human collective desire to hear events similar to the structural patterns of folk tales, the general tendency towards folk narration of stories and depictions in accordance with the popular sentiments of their time.