architecture

Water is a symbol of creation, purity, and prosperity in many cultures, including Iran. Due to its critical importance, water has been revered and considered one of the four essential elements for life. Throughout history, Iran has faced water shortages and droughts, leading its people to develop mechanisms to preserve and distribute water for human use. One of the primary water sources in Iran is the qanat system, which was first invented and constructed by Iranians. Qazvin, a city historically struggling with water scarcity, began using qanats during the Ghaznavid period. This article examines the architecture and structure of qanats, with a focus on the qanats of Qazvin, utilizing a descriptive-historical approach.

The concept of “manifestation” (Tajalli) is one of the fundamental concepts of Islamic wisdom and mysticism, which has its roots in the Holy Qur’an and the traditions of the innocents (peace be upon them), and from this passage, it enters the tasteful language of Muslim mystics, especially Ibn Arabi, pay special attention to it. they do. With this description, since the issue of manifestation in art finds a special place in mystical discussions and since one of the basic principles of the art of calligraphy is indeed “refinement” (Sh’an) and until the rust is not removed from the heart and refinement is not achieved, an image in it will not be manifested; Therefore, it seems that through the expression of this concept of manifestation, a close bond is established between mysticism and calligraphy. Based on this, the current research has tried to answer these two questions: 1. What is manifestation and what is its place in our sacred and mystical texts? 2. What is the relationship between manifestation and the theoretical foundations of Islamic calligraphy, especially “refinement” and “dignity” (Safā)? In order to reach a clear answer to these two questions and to establish a bridge between mysticism and Islamic calligraphy and to find the mystical dignity of “manifestation” in it, therefore, first the meaning of manifestation in religious sources such as verses and narrations was discussed and then in mystical texts (according to Ibn Arabi and mystics before him) has understood its meaning. In the following, the category of sanctity in calligraphy is discussed and based on the twelve principles governing it (according to the text of Babashah Isfahani’s Adab al-Mashq), the connection of “manifestation” with “refinement” and “dignity” in Islamic calligraphy and its relationship with its beauty (Hosn) is examined.

One of the important issues is how to communicate and interact between spiritual and material culture; Architecture as a material culture has a wide range and the wideness of this range has made it related to many sciences, some of which are a subset of occult sciences and shows the influence of spiritual culture on material culture. This research seeks to answer how different branches of occult sciences are used in different stages of the formation of architecture, and it is written with the aim of analyzing a part of the relationship between occult sciences and architecture, citing the history and geography texts, which has been overlooked by other researchers. Therefore, this research with a descriptive-analytical approach tries to examine the relationship between architecture and occult sciences from various aspects. The findings of the research show that during the foundation stage of cities and buildings, the sciences of constellational power (a branch of Himiya) were used, and for the construction of buildings, Kimia, Simya, Himiya, Limiya and Rimya were used; Also, during the exploitation phase, talismans have been used as additional elements of architecture in the form of sculptures, paintings and inscriptions. The documents show that among the occult sciences, the role of talismans in architecture and urban development has been more than others, and additional elements of images and inscriptions have been the main tools used in architectural spaces, which magicians and talisman makers use for different purposes such as protection, prosperity or to conquer people. These talismans in the form of images include human, animal, bird, strange creatures and astronomical images.

Architectural remains are as the “foundation” of archaeological research, these evidence can be described with words, numbers and precise and clear drawings. But the interpretation of architectural remains and worldview contexts related to human social behavior are still problematic. Architecture is related to material remains, but we must remember that ultimately these remains reflect the customs and worldview of the respective societies. There is no doubt that the individual household unit changes successively over time to accommodate nuclear and extended families, groups, tribe, etc. Cheshme Rajab site is located in Lorestan province, Kohdasht County - Konani district, 500 meters north of the Symareh River, 6.5 km from the top of the Symareh dam, and in the cultural domain of central Zagros. It is considered one of the key sites for the study and cultural developments of the rural settlement period of the region and Zagros.  In April 2019, the second season of extensive (vertical-horizontal) archaeological excavations was carried out by creating three trench in the center, west and south of the site in order to know and be aware of the cultural developments in the region in the said Tepe. The current research is based on the presentation of the exploration results, the discussion of its architectural data analysis. This research  is done with a fundamental purpose and its data collection method is based on the field and library method, and in it, while introducing and describing the architecture of this site, we seek to answer the questions regarding the architectural condition of this site, such as whether it is right-angled and... Which period does the site belong to? Also, based on the results of the archaeological excavation, it can be said that in terms of the obtained works, it belongs to the late Neolithic and Chalcolithic Period.

The architectural complex commissioned by Gawhar Shad in Herat (820–841/1417–1438) constitutes one of the major foundations of the Timurid capital city. The site has sustained substantial damage over the centuries and very little is currently known about its architecture and decoration. Since the 1980s, access to it has been strictly limited due to the presence of landmines. This article aims to present the last archaeological surveys carried out on the site in recent years, and to introduce the first results of the study of the ceramic tiles collected on the “Musalla” and transferred to the National Museum of Herat in 2015.The implementation of archaeological digs would help us understand what this major monument of Timurid architecture was built on, to advance further in its restitution, possibly to find material within its context, and hence to go further in the restitution of the decorations of the complex, of the techniques used, and of the radiance of the remarkable artistic centre that was Herat in the fifteenth century.

Art as a social phenomenon is formed under the influence of political, religious, economic, and cultural contexts existing in every society. This fact exists in the Timurid era (807-913 AH), which is considered one of the brilliant periods in the history of Iranian-Islamic art, and art was not a separate category from politics and religion; As during the time of Shahrukh Timuri, in the one hand, art was intertwined with politics and religion, and on the other hand, it was influenced by the multi-religious situation of the society of that day. Therefore, to understand the state of the art in this period and to examine the factors of its progress and stagnation, we must analyze its political and religious roots in the society of that time. The current research, with descriptive and analytical methods, while explaining the political and religious contexts governing the period of Shahrukh Timuri, aims to show the impact of his policies on the growth and stagnation of all kinds of art in that period. The findings of this research show that as a result of Shahrukh's support policies for architecture and calligraphy, based on the number of works produced and innovation in the styles used in each of them, it has progressed in terms of quantity and quality, and against poetry despite Quantitative growth turned into qualitative decline, and music and painting did not rise as they should have. This finding was obtained with a comparative approach between the common arts of this period.

The discussion of the typology of mosque architecture in different parts of Iran is a topic that has been studied by many researchers. In this article, in addition to the typology of Local mosques, factors affecting the formation and development of the remaining mosques in Borujerd (17 mosques) from the 12th to the 14th centuries AH have been investigated. Boroujerd has a temperate climate with cold winters, and its architecture, like other regions, is under the influence of the local climate and environment. In so doing, as a result of adaptation to the local environment, specific local architectural characteristics are observed in Boroujerd. This research is based on the assumption that local mosques in Boroujerd are built according to the local climatic conditions and based on local architecture. To infer the factors influencing the formation and development of the local mosques, the architectural components and physical and spatial characteristics of the mosques are examined and studied. The questions are as follows: What are the distinctive structural characteristics of the mosques in the Borujerd region? And how could they be grouped? In the construction of such mosques, how has adaptation to the local environment been considered? How have these mosques been influenced by the local architecture? Research information has been collected based on the library method and field survey using the descriptive-analytical and comparative methods. The result of the research has shown that the types of local mosques in Borujerd, although in the general definition, are in the continuation of the archetypes of mosque architecture, but under the influence of local climatic conditions and the local environment, as well as the influence of native architecture. They have distinctive features compared to other mosques, so they could be grouped into two types of local mosques: winter and summer. They are also divided into several categories according to their architectural features. Among them, we could mention mosques with stone and brick-pillared naves.

Politics has always had a great impact on the evolution and diversity of the arts of a civilization. Timurid historical period is one of the glorious cultural periods. Knowing the place of art and getting help from artists, the Timurid rulers, in addition to consolidating and showing greatness of their political power, also provided the causes of artistic splendor. The main purpose of the research is to investigate the influence and role of political factors in the evolution of decorative arts of the Timurid era. The research has been done in a descriptive and analytical way and gathering information through library art historical sources. And by posing the question that; Which political factors played an important role in the transformation of the decorative arts of the Timurid era and the transformation occurred in which decorative arts was it more? It examines the role of political factors in the evolution of the decorative arts of the Timurid era. Among the results obtained are the grandeur and splendor of the court, confronting rivals, through political propaganda, the formation of scientific and artistic workshops by the ministers of relations with neighboring governments (China), the presence of artists in art centers and pointed out that on the one hand, it brings the rulers to their political goals, and on the other hand, it has caused the creativity of artists to evolve and transform the artistic style in motifs, through the formation of art schools in the decorative arts of book design and architecture.

In the center of the Mediterranean Sea, there is an island known as Sicily. This Island is a beautiful and fertile land with a mild Mediterranean climate. It is located at the intersection of two continents, Europe and Africa, and is the nearest connecting route between these two continents after the Strait of Gibraltar. This geographical location has made Sicily the target of many attacks and invasions throughout history. Muslims were one of these groups that attacked this Island many times. The present study, through descriptive-analytical method, tried to answer this question: what was the history of the Muslim conquest of Sicily and what cultural and civilizational achievements did they have during their domination there over the centuries? Research shows that the Muslim ruling dynasties on the Island flourished and expanded Islamic culture and civilization. The effects of this prosperity, especially in the form of art and architecture, continued even after the collapse of Islamic governments and during the Christian Norman era. Some Normans were tolerant towards Muslims and this made the effects of Islamic culture and civilization on the Island still noticeable.

Nehbandan County is considered one of the important areas in the archaeological research of the historical and Islamic period of South Khorasan. The eastern region of Shah Kouh in the west of this county, due to the existence of suitable and favorable climatic and land conditions, contains important and spacious settlements, which shows their importance in intra- and extra-regional interactions in historical times. Among these unique monuments, there are the remaining parts of the building known as Atashkadeh (Fire Temple) in the village of the same name, but unfortunately, only a few parts of this structure are left. According to the results of the excavation project to determine the core zone and suggest the buffer zone of the building as well as the existing architectural evidence and the current architecture in the context of the village, it is believed that this structure was founded with a cruciform pattern and four stone walls and a dome cover. The study shows that this building was built in the Sassanid period and was still standing in the early Islamic centuries as a religious place and in connection with the surrounding sites. Here, some of the nearby sites such as Kalate Bal Batu and Taska Cemetery were introduced and their surface cultural remains were also discussed and analyzed. This research aims to recognize the Fire Temple building according to the archaeological evidence and also to introduce other sites of the historical era such as Klate Bel Beto and Taska. Collecting the findings has been conducted in the field and analyzing them through Library research has been done with a historical-cultural approach and descriptive-analytical method.

Tomb buildings are one of the most important types of Islamic architecture. Studying such a building in a geographical context gives us a meaningful understanding of these works. The vast region of Tabas, despite having a rich capacity of magnificent historical and cultural monuments, has been neglected by officials and archaeologists due to its desolation and difficult geographical conditions. In the archaeological study of the Jokhah section of Tabas, which was carried out in 2015, several buildings were identified, including a single tomb. So far, this building has not been the subject of detailed and methodical research on how the structure of architecture and dating is based on comparison with other mausoleum buildings, so the need for this research was provided. In this research, the construction method of the building has been considered according to the dome, the execution of the dome and the type of materials and the type of decorations used. The present research is based on a descriptive-analytical purpose and its nature is based on historical approaches. The methodology of accumulations is based on field studies and citation of library resources. This article tries to analyze the identity and date of construction of the tomb of Jokhah Tabas, based on archaeological findings, comparative studies and also citing written sources of the Islamic period. The results of studies show that the construction pattern of this tomb is derived from the square design of tomb buildings in Greater Khorasan in the early centuries of the Islamic period. However, by comparing material culture data and building elements with other similar works, the date of its construction can be attributed to the late sixth-early seventh century AH.

The Tehran government building is one of the most valuable buildings in Iran during the Qajar period, which was built by order of Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar and was destroyed in the first Pahlavi period by order of Reza Khan. The first aspect of the importance of this issue is the structure of this building and its value in the art of religious mourning in the Qajar period, which determines the transmission of religious traditions and cultures, and its study can be a good ground for studying this building in Qajar period painting. The purpose of this research is to realize the importance of this building, its construction in the Qajar period and Kamal-ol-Molk painting as the only color document left of this building. The question of this research is how this building was built and what are its features? What are the characteristics of Kamal al-Mulk in the painting of government support? The research method in this research is descriptive-analytical and using library resources and the method of analyzing the works is based on the study of visual principles and rules used in the physical characteristics of the work. The results of this study show that this building and its structure was an important event in the Qajar period and one of the most important buildings in the capital that was destroyed in the first Pahlavi period. The color is from the inside of the support, and the few photos that remain are black and white, and Kamal al-Mulk'

Over time, roads have been identified as the vital economic arteries of nations, as they have been one of the fundamental factors and domains in the development of nations. The majority of the research conducted on roads focuses on the economic, political, and military functions of roads, as do most historians and researchers. The Persian Gulf does not deviate from this norm. In addition to its function as a trade corridor, the Persian Gulf has also played a fundamental and important role in the realm of culture. This study endeavors to answer the fundamental question of what impact the Persian Gulf has had on the evolution of Iranian culture and customs. It appears that the expansion of trade based on the tolerance of Iranian merchants and the travels of religious and spiritual missionaries and other Iranian groups formed through the Persian Gulf paved the way for the formation of Iranian communities outside of Iran's borders and the spread of Iranian culture. This issue crystallizes into topics including Persian language, customs, and Iranian art and architecture. This topic has been investigated using library resources and a descriptive analyticmethod.