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Problem Statement:

Sheikh Farid al-Din Abu Hamid Muhammad Attar of Nishabur is one of the eminent and illustrious mystics, Sufis, and poets of Persian literature. The most important sources for our understanding of Attar are his own works. In the Mukhtarnama (a collection of his quatrains), Attar’s definite and authenticated works include Mukhtarnama, Asrar-nama, Maqamat al-Tuyur (Mantiq al-Tayr), Musibat-nama, Tazkirat al-Awliya, and his Divan of ghazals and qasidas. Among these, Mantiq al-Tayr is considered Attar’s most famous work and is regarded as one of the rare masterpieces of mystical literature. However, illustrated versions and existing images from this book are extremely rare.The manuscript examined in this study is a copy of Mantiq al-Tayr, transcribed in 1261 AH (1845 CE), containing 4,603 verses in Persian along with ten paintings from the Qajar period. The images are organized as follows: Praise of the Prophet Muhammad, Seal of the Prophets (peace and blessings be upon him and his progeny), The virtues of the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (may Allah ennoble his face), The story of Bilal, The hoopoe encouraging all the birds to embark on the journey, The story of Sheikh San'an traveling to Rome and falling in love with a Christian maiden, The tale of drinking a cup from the hand of the Christian maiden, The story of Sheikh San'an tending swine, The story of Sheikh San'an returning to the Christian maiden and her conversion to Islam, The story of the daughter of Khosrow and the servant, The narrative of the birds' quest.Until now, no research has been conducted regarding the origins of the illustration production in this particular manuscript. Therefore, the central issue of the present study is to respond to the question: to what extent were these illustrations influenced by the poems, and to what degree did the anonymous illustrator adhere to the specific points mentioned in the poems when creating the images? In various historical periods, only a few attempts at illustrating this mystical work have been undertaken, each reflecting the social and spiritual concerns of its era, thereby influencing which parts of the stories were prioritized for visual depiction. With respect to the illustrations in this manuscript, it becomes easier to understand which narratives drew particular attention during the Qajar period.In the present research, a detailed examination of the pre-text (the poems) in terms of textual analysis (the illustrations) has been conducted, along with a focused study of visual characteristics such as color usage, scene composition, and character portrayal.

Research Objective:

 The objective of this study is to explore the origins behind the creation of the illustrations in the 1261 AH manuscript of Mantiq al-Tayr (preserved in the National Library under retrieval number 19039), with the aim of investigating the representation and the degree of visual discourse generated from the written narrative, and examining the extent of the illustrator’s fidelity to the pre-text based on the framework of genetic criticism.Research Question:The overarching research question is centered on the extent to which the illustrations of the 1261 AH manuscript preserved the authenticity or altered the narrative discourse of Mantiq al-Tayr in their visual representation.In a more detailed approach, the study further investigates how the pre-text influenced the final illustrations, the nature of scene compositions, and the depiction of the external features of characters within this manuscript.

Research Methodology:

 The study employs a descriptive-analytical method and, based on the theoretical framework of genetic criticism, examines the selected corpus (ten images).

Throughout different historical periods, a few illustrated versions of Mantiq al-Tayr have been produced. The present research focused on the illustrated 1261 AH manuscript created during the Qajar period. In order to understand the representation of the images in this manuscript and to evaluate the illustrator’s fidelity to the pre-text (the poems), the theory of genetic criticism was adopted.Based on the findings, it can be stated that the anonymous illustrator of this manuscript was familiar with the visual principles of his time (the early Qajar period) and incorporated the features and stylistic characteristics of this era into his illustrations. Moreover, by examining the images and their corresponding poems, it becomes evident that while the illustrations are generally consistent with the narrative content of the poems, the illustrator did not remain fully faithful to the text in certain aspects, particularly in character portrayal, the number of figures, scene setting, and the depiction of emotional and physical states of the characters.The visual elements that contributed to the differences between the pre-text and the visual text, considering the era of creation, include the following:Observance of symmetry and mirror imaging in composition,Division of spatial settings into two parts, upper and lower sections, and separation into foreground and background planes in terms of depth,In the illustrations, multiple figures with lower status are positioned in the background, whereas individuals of higher rank are placed in the foreground, reflecting the ambition and power dynamics typical of depictions of kings in this period. Despite the mystical nature of the narratives, this hierarchical visual convention has been maintained, with spiritually superior figures placed prominently in the foreground,In keeping with the common practice of this period, most figures are inclined to the right side, and in this manuscript, the main figure in each illustration is located on the right side,In the early illustrations, especially in interior scenes, although window frames are depicted, the background skies are rendered simply to emphasize the characters, while the foregrounds are illustrated with greater detail,Early Qajar painters, influenced by aesthetic ideals of literary beauty, portrayed poetically inspired faces and physiques with a human-centered perspective, thereby reinforcing their connection to literary traditions. The anonymous illustrator of this manuscript, being aware of these aesthetic principles, also adhered to them, thus maintaining harmony with the literary text,Use of curtains and windows in the images to suggest depth,Symmetrical compositions conveying a sense of calm and balance,Suggestion of third-dimensional space through the depiction of carpets, frames, and background landscapes,Fine detailing in the rendering of small elements,Use of cool-warm color contrast: cooler hues (such as blues) are employed in the upper parts of images to enhance the sense of depth, while warmer tones dominate the foregrounds,Limited and repetitive color selection, indicating the illustrator utilized a consistent color palette across all illustrations,Employment of various shades of cool blue to evoke a sense of ambiguity and dreaminess,Application of simple and minimal decorative motifs, such as flowers, buds, and boteh-jeqeh, on clothing and carpets, reflecting the manuscript's mystical and spiritual themes.

The close affinity and link between painting and literature characterizes Persian painting. However, towards the end of the Qajar era, the use of painting for illustration "in" literary or historical books decreased for various reasons. Meanwhile, the Qahvehkhaneh painting tradition took up this age-old mode, placing the illustration of verbal narratives at the center of attention. Qahvehkhaneh painters employed various modes of illustrative narration. The extent and combination of these modes appears to have reached a novel stage in Iranian painting history. The present article investigates the structural link between text and image in the Qahvehkhaneh painting. For this aim, drawing upon Wichkoff's taxonomy in identifying types of visual narrative and Lessing's crucial concepts in distinguishing painting from literature, it examines the following questions: (1)  "What" types of visual narration are there in the works of this school and (2) “How” the narrative time crystallizes in Qahvehkhaneh painting?The study is conducted using a descriptive- comparative method. According to the findings, many of this school's paintings have been restricted to the pregnant moment. These paintings only illustrate the culmination of the verbal narrative. Thus, in an instance of time imagination, the audience could imagine the events before or after this frozen moment. Therefore, although in this method that Wichkoff describes as Isolated Method, time is restricted and limited in the visual narrative, in the final analysis, these illustrations have some hidden timing. It means they put forward the time sequence subjectively rather than objectively. Utilizing this method constitutes a strategic compromise between the essentially spatial medium of painting and the time-bound medium of literature.However, in an intriguing initiative in some works in Qahvehkhaneh painting, these distinct illustrations come together in one single frame, displaying the whole fictional narrative, i.e., its numerous moments consecutively. This method is unprecedented in the Persian painting tradition. Among Qahvehkhaneh painters, Mohammad Modabber, a forerunner of this school, created most of his works in this style. This method came to be embraced and employed by the next generation of Qahvehkhaneh painters in numerous forms. In the works of painters such as Fathollah Ghoullar Aghasi, Hossein Hamedani, Hasan Esmaeilzadeh, Ahmad Khalili, Mostafa Hamidi, Mohammad Hamidi, Abbas Boloukifar, Mohammad Farahani, and Ali Akbar Larni, these parts were arranged more diversely. The potential of this mode of visual narrative is in its compatibility with Western aesthetic principles. In these works, the pregnant moment could be drawn by placing the subject in perspective. As seen in the works of Modabber, every part of the numerous illustrations in a painting frame has its unique perspective. The teachings and academic taste of some of the teachers of Mohammad Modabber, who were influenced by Kamal-Ol-Molk's teachings, appear to have been instrumental in adopting and expanding this visual narrative method. It is true that foreign aesthetics and techniques gradually increase in the works of Qahvehkhaneh painters. However, the Qahvehkhaneh painting renders these techniques its own by consecutively arranging distinct illustrations of pregnant moments, adapting them to polish its unique aesthetics.In addition to the isolated method, the Qahvehkhaneh painters drew upon the continuous method in displaying the numerous illustrations of a narrative. Notably, shunning the sequence of distinct illustrations, Hossein Ghoullar Aghasi used this method for a detailed articulation of the narrative. This method illustrates the personages in a spatial continuum without changing the stage in the succession of events in a time sequence. The canvas is full of sequences and time lapses. Different times and places assume a narrative continuity and singularity on the canvas. Even though this method was present in religious iconography since the age of the Safavid and the Zand dynasties in Persian visual tradition, the Qahvehkhaneh painter revived this tradition, notably in depicting the battle of Karbala. Today the works of this school are characterized by this tendency. Besides Hossein Ghoullar Aghasi, many Qahvehkhaneh painters, such as Mohammad Modabber, Hasan Esmaeilzadeh, Abbas Boloukifar, and Mohammad Farahani, employed this method of visual narrative in their early works.The close link between the Qahvehkhaneh painting and the religious, literary, and popular narratives seems to have expanded and deepened novel methods of visual narratives. The works of this school each represent the height of affinity between verbal and visual narratives, where time penetrates the space and the canvas, taking on a visible manifestation. This manifestation can be regarded as the last and the brightest link between text and image in the Iranian painting’s tradition.

One Thousand and One Nights is among the earliest literary works worldwide. The manuscript of the tale of Seyf ol-Moluk and Badi' ol-Jamal from the One Thousand and One Nights collection was written in Persian in Nastaliq script in 1033 AH under Jahangir, the Mughal emperor in India. It demonstrates the profound influence of the visual traditions of the Indian and Iranian cultures and civilizations. The immigration of the artists of the Safavid court at the invitation of the Mughal rulers transferred Iranian artistic ideas to the Mughal miniature school. In India, the Mughal kings developed a culture and civilization exhibiting signs of Iranian art and taste. The visual traditions persisted in the Islamic civilization while preserving artistic values. The artists created impressive works and novel experiences. On the other hand, Mikhail Bakhtin, the 20th-century literary critic, theorizes the human being in relation and dialogue with the others and the community. The dialogical principle constitutes the basis of Bakhtin's thought, enabling the discovery of truth with the aid of the others. The resulting polyphony prevents one viewpoint from dominating the others. In dialogism, the ability to enjoy awareness draws upon otherness. The other's perspective and point of view affect human behavior, with the others occupying the audience's position. According to Bakhtin, realizing the situation implies knowledge of the world, and the path to consciousness travels through rich dialogue with the other. In Bakhtin's dialogical principle, the chronotope is highly important. Social situations and diverse interactions among the subjects reveal the notion of chronotope, understood by every individual as an independent position. The tale of Seyf Ol-Moluk narrates the story of a prince who falls in love with a princess named Bad Ol-Jamal and engages in conversations with the characters in the story while seeking his beloved, whom he finds by enduring many hardships. The tale of Seyf Ol-Moluk and Badi' ol-Jamal is made up of anecdotes that continue one another, each continuously influencing another event, illuminating novel meanings, and articulating the significance of the theme of love and dialogism among the characters for achieving the final goal. The story of Seyf ol-Moluk and Badi' ol-Jamal counts among the enduring tales in Iranian fiction__the only one with a perfect counterpart in the Persian language. The present study seeks to analyze the relationship between text and illustrations in the manuscript of the tale of Seyf ol-Moluk and Badi' ol-Jamal based on Bakhtin's theories. It also investigates how the text and illustrations of the manuscript mentioned above deal with polyphony and chronotope. The research questions are as follows: 1. What dialogical relation and chronotope exist between text and illustration in the manuscript of the tale of Seyf ol-Moluk and Badi' ol-Jamal? 2. How can similarities and differences of dialogism between the story narrative and the illustrations of this version be examined? The study employs a descriptive and analytical methodology and gathers data from library sources by utilizing note-taking and image reading. The research draws on a qualitative method to analyze the data. The findings suggest that Seyf ol-Moluk accomplishes his goal accompanied by polyphony among the other characters alongside the story text and illustrations. The dialogism among narrative elements and illustrations of this version is highly rich and harmonic. In keeping with the Iranian traditions and Indian indigenous culture, the human being is placed at the center of attention and contextualized in the environment. Essentially, the story puts forward dialogism between them. The element of language and dialogue play an influential role. The characters portrayed in the story narrative and illustrations of this manuscript hold a variety of viewpoints regarding one another. Polyphony and dialogism among humans are observed among human beings placed in the context of the environment. The stratification and structure of the space is richly described. Furthermore, the narrative and visual elements are equally important, each enjoying its unique language and dialogue. Despite all its ups and downs, the world of Seyf ol-Moluk displays a world in which the other matters. The personal world of Seyf ol-Moluk as an independent prince is not superior to the others and is not monologic due to otherness. Thus, the effects of polyphony are apparent in diverse manifestations, and the illustration artist has created a work based on Bakhtin's dialogical principle based on the story narrative. On the other hand, the chronotope in the text of the tale of Seyf ol-Moluk and Badi' ol-Jamal and the manuscript illustrations are in keeping with one another, demonstrating the importance of each character's life in their particular chronotope. The chronotope in the narrative text affects the fate of characters. With each chronotope in the story, a new situation emerges. The chronotope in the illustrations evokes the particular position of each character, displayed through unique visual components.

Statement Problem: folk literature has been the basis of visual presentation of narratives by illustrators for a long time. From the end of the Safavid period and the beginning of the Qajar period, this fortune and popularity increased, and the appearance of lithography, especially in illustrated form, was effective in spreading and publishing more and more of these stories. Among these cases, there is the story of the love between Nooshafrin and Prince Ibrahim. The origin of this prose folk tale is probably related to the Safavid period, but the author and the exact time of its composition are not known. However, its acceptability and popularity among the public has caused many copies of this story to exist in the form of manuscripts and lithographs. In this research, the characteristics and visual characteristics of 14 lithographic images without the name of the illustrator from the folk tale of Nooshafrin Gohartaj, version 1293 AH (stored in Astan Quds Razavi Library with registration number 41083) have been investigated. The purpose of the research: introducing and investigating the role of images in better expressing the meaning of the story and conveying it to the audience and how the image and the illustrated characters accompany the story line in the images of the 1293 edition of the story of Noush Afarin Gohartaj and subsequently examining the relationship between the illustrated characters and the text in the version It is based on the theory of text and image interaction. Research question: What is the relationship between the characters depicted in the story of Noush Afarin Gohartaj (lithographic version published in 1293 AH) with the trajectory of the narrative and what features are used in the said depictions, and in the meantime, the relationship between text and image based on the theory of interaction between text and image How is Marianikolaeva and Carol Scott? Research

The nature of the fundamental research is based on a quantitative approach, based on the descriptive-analytical research method, based on the theory of the interaction of text and image by Maria Nikolayeva and Carol Scott, and based on the direct observation of the manuscript and relying on library sources.

The narrative illustrations of the researched version have the characteristics of traditional Iranian painting, as well as the characteristics of Qajar paintings and the style of court portrait painting of this period, which was influenced by Western art. The images are absolutely at the service of the text and relatively moved along with the text and progressed with the relative or complementary relationship with the text, and of course, knowingly or unknowingly, there is a place left for the imagination of the audience to fantasize and role play. Key words: Narrative illustration, Lithography, Folk tales, Noushafrin Gohartaj, Text and image interaction theorycharacteristics of traditional Iranian painting, as well as the characteristics of Qajar paintings and the style of court portrait painting of this period, which was influenced by Western art. The images are absolutely at the service of the text and relatively moved along with the text and progressed with the relative or complementary relationship with the text, and of course, knowingly or unknowingly, there is a place left for the imagination of the audience to fantasize and role play. Key words: Narrative illustration, Lithography, Folk tales, Noushafrin Gohartaj, Text and image interaction theorynarratives by illustrators for a long time. From the end of the Safavid period and the beginning of the Qajar period, this fortune and popularity increased, and the appearance of lithography, especially in illustrated form, was effective in spreading and publishing more and more of these stories. Among these cases, there is the story of the love between Nooshafrin and Prince Ibrahim. The origin of this prose folk tale is probably related to the Safavid period, but the author and the exact time of its composition are not known. However, its acceptability and popularity among the public has caused many copies of this story to exist in the form of manuscripts and lithographs. In this research, the characteristics and visual characteristics of 14 lithographic images without the name of the illustrator from the folk tale of Nooshafrin Gohartaj, version 1293 AH (stored in Astan Quds Razavi Library with registration number 41083) have been investigated. The purpose of the research: introducing and investigating the role of images in better expressing the meaning of the story and conveying it to the audience and how the image and the illustrated characters accompany the story line in the images of the 1293 edition of the story of Noush Afarin Gohartaj and subsequently examining the relationship between the illustrated characters and the text in the version It is based on the theory of text and image interaction. Research question: What is the relationship between the characters depicted in the story of Noush Afarin Gohartaj (lithographic version published in 1293 AH) with the trajectory of the narrative and what features are used in the said depictions, and in the meantime, the relationship between text and image based on the theory of interaction between text and image How is Marianikolaeva and Carol Scott? Research

The nature of the fundamental research is based on a quantitative approach, based on the descriptive-analytical research method, based on the theory of the interaction of text and image by Maria Nikolayeva and Carol Scott, and based on the direct observation of the manuscript and relying on library sources.

In this article, we will first explore the concept of a photograph as a text and its linguistic and semiotic dimensions. In this regard, we will draw on Roland Barthes' theory and the concept of punctum, as Barthes is the only philosopher who specifically addresses the concept and characteristics of a photograph as an artistic text. In the next section, we have utilized the theories of the renowned structural linguist Roman Jakobson, as he has valuable practical theories regarding the message as the central communication link between the text and the audience, which aids us in advancing our understanding of the text. Furthermore, the article delves into the notion of photography as a form of discourse, which is the product of a particular type of communication and nature. Additionally, by employing the concept of hermeneutics, we discuss the role of the audience in the interpretation and decoding of photographs as linguistic texts. In this context, we have drawn on the theories of two important and influential philosophers of hermeneutics, Paul Ricoeur and Hans-Georg Gadamer, who have significantly contributed to the extension of hermeneutical approaches to non-textual materials. The research aims to explore how viewing a photograph as a text provides an approach to semiotics, linguistics, and hermeneutics in the production of meaning in photography. This research was conducted through library research and descriptive analytical methods. It appears that the interpretation and understanding of the meanings of photographs, as well as any other artwork, rely on multiple factors, including culture, cultural background, personal experience, and individual knowledge.Keywords: Photography, Semiotics, Linguistics, Hermeneutics, Text

Hermeneutic theory and criticism are one of the important theories and criticisms of art and literature. The term hermeneutics or the science of interpretation and interpretation has entered the field of visual arts from the field of literature. The polysemous of this word indicates the types of uses that this word has been used for. Hermeneutics is defined as an attitude, knowledge, method and art that deals with the understanding of the world, human and text. Texts and works of art are open to interpretation, and the goal of interpreting and understanding works is to reach their true meaning. The science of hermeneutics was first used in the interpretation of the holy books and then entered the literary and artistic fields. From the point of view of this science, understanding and interpretation of phenomena are inseparable from each other, texts and works of art are opened in interpretations and their hidden aspects are revealed by interpretation. The purpose of interpretation is to understand the works and obtain its true meaning; Therefore, achieving meaning is associated with the process of understanding.As an interpretive creature, man also tries to communicate with phenomena by understanding and interpreting them. (These phenomena can be the holy texts of the books of the prophets or books of philosophers or works of art.) But in reality, what is the ultimate goal in interpretation and hermeneutics is to achieve the true meaning of the phenomena. Shapes, images, signs, social customs and in general any phenomenon that is made by nature or man are placed in the position of interpretation and understanding. For understanding the world made up of forms and colors that are constantly changing, transforming, giving birth, expanding and transforming, man gives meaning to them or he discovers their meaning. So, the act of interpretation is done with the significance of the phenomena. The meaning is hidden in the text and the work, and the interpreter is required to find the hidden meaning in the work. The works and texts guide the commentators to understand the interpretation methods.Therefore, the text and artwork have always been the subject of interpretation; And man as an interpreter is always interpreting the phenomena around him; But due to the existence of different understandings in a person, there have always been multiple interpretations of a work. Therefore, the important question raised here is what is the position of the text or the work of art or even the creator of the work in hermeneutic science? Are the interpretations as countless as the number of people, and it is the audience of the work of art that determines the meaning of the work? Or that the author or the artist is the main pillar in the interpretation and the interpretation is formed based on their thinking. Can the text or artwork determine which interpretation is valid and which is not? What is the validity of these valid and invalid interpretations? Is it possible to determine a certain basis for the interpretation of works of art by summarizing the opinions of different thinkers during different centuries and classifying them? Therefore, the purpose of compiling this research is a critical and analytical reflection on the opinions of hermeneutic thinkers and the bases of achieving the true meaning of the work.The purpose of this research is a critical and analytical reflection on the opinions of thinkers about hermeneutics, its role and place in the interpretation of phenomena and especially works of art. Therefore, firstly, the works and ideas of the first thinkers in the field of hermeneutics are investigated and a brief history of hermeneutics and its types are introduced. Then, by dividing hermeneutics into two historical periods, classic and modern, the theorists have been categorized. Hermeneutics has been examined in terms of the subject and its types, and by summarizing the opinions of theorists, an attempt has been made to reach a certain basis in hermeneutic criticism, so that with its help, a criticism appropriate to the work can be presented. After summarizing and classifying the opinions of thinkers and examining the science of hermeneutics in the world of art, it has been tried to present specific models of hermeneutics and its criticism in the field of visual arts. Research shows that hermeneutics, as a knowledge in obtaining the meaning of phenomena, always plays an important role in determining the meaning of works of art. But paying only to each aspect of the author, the audience and the text in hermeneutics reveals only a part of the meaning of the work; Therefore, despite the modern hermeneutics that determines the meaning only in the interpretation horizon of the interpreter, the text and the author also have a central role in determining the meaning of the work.

Problem Statement:

The category of identity first includes areas such as Philosophy, Logic and Psychology, gradually, due to the fundamental developments in science and technology, the scope of identity topics was also extended to man-made environments. In simple terms, identity is a set of features and characteristics that distinguishes a place from other places. Identity includes the physical characteristics of the appearance and landscape and the vitality of the environment, which is understood from the environment with the presence of social activities and behaviors, ecological quality, natural environment, behavioral camps, collective memories and other effective contexts, and this non-fixed concept is formed and finally according to the inclusion of the mentioned dimensions, it includes a more complete conceptual dimension.Graphic tools can have different applications such as advertising and beautification, etc. Sometimes these applications are combined with each other and at the same time, in addition to being a suitable advertising tool, they also play the role of beautification and urban identity. The alignment of these goals causes the city to take on a proportionate image, and in this case, it can be said that graphic tools are involved in the narration of text and images and have been able to take a positive step in this direction. Sometimes graphic tools are used just to beautify and identify a part of the city so that the image of the city can be prepared according to the desired space; This space may be event-oriented and run for a short time in the city. Sometimes, a symbol based on the city's identity and narration is designed and implemented permanently in the city. Like urban furniture, which is another graphic tool, and if it is created according to the identity, art, culture, climate and weather, it can be very effective in narrating the city. In another case, these tools are only placed in the environment and have no role in the specific narration of the city, signs and boards which are the tools of advertising and their role is only as a place for various advertisements in the city environment, and as it was said, their visual role in the city is not taken into consideration and are only a place for advertising. In the sample under study, it can be seen that graphic tools are formed regardless of the identity of the city; Graphic tools that do not fit with identity, art, culture, localization, etc., do not play a role in the narration of Bojnord city and are only tools for advertising, in such a way that they don't even pay attention to the appearance of the city, the created disturbance and visual pollution.The recent developments of Bojnord city and sometimes lack of attention to the use of identity issues in it have caused the historical and cultural identity of the city to receive little attention and the new developments of the city, alien to it, continue to grow. The development of these traditional values sometimes continues as a point in the historical places of the city (such as Mofakham complex), while the spread of cultural and historical values can flow throughout the entire fabric of the city. Understanding the current situation and people's understanding and experience of it, along with the traditional and past concepts of the city that still exist in the minds of many citizens of the city (even if the narration of text and images in the contemporary city does not correspond to it) is a subject that has gained the researchers’ attention.  In this way, the identity, culture and values and the role they can play in shaping the concepts, meanings and somehow "heterogeneous perception of the past, present and future" of cities will be the main topic of the present research.

Research questions:

Apart from what is mentioned under the title of "concepts of identity" in the context of our cities with the aim of avoiding the uniformity of the development of cities or distance from the categories of "non-identity" of cities, the present research tries to make the use of graphic tools in the Bojnord downtown a basis for investigation to pursue a central question: To what extent have the graphic tools used in Bojnord downtown (between the Mokhaberat intersection and Shahid Square) been useful in reflecting the city's identity with an emphasis on text and image narration?

This research has been conducted through a survey study and it tries to explore the way of manifestation and reflection of the city's identity in Bojnord downtown (between the Mokhaberat intersection and the Shahid square) with the descriptive-analytical method and based on the observation tools.At the same time, the emphasis of the research is specifically on graphic tools effective in this manifestation, focusing on covering the discussion of the specific urban identity of Bojnord city. 26 graphic tools (including signs (guide signs, street names, provision of regulations, etc.), fences, hedge, murals, benches, etc.) have been examined, and at the same time, it has been tried to consider these elements by the researchers in the creation of identity. In addition, five core questions about the "narrative of text and image" have been asked by a random method and available samples, from a total of 50 people present in the study sample.In general, according to the descriptive statistics of the research participants, out of the total number of 50 participants in the research, in terms of education, 37% have a diploma, 54% have a master's degree, and the rest (9%) have a doctorate or higher. 95% of the activists have admitted that they have repeatedly used or referred to the space. The average age of the majority of respondents is between 15 and 65 years old (86%). Finally, 93% of the respondents are natives of North Khorasan province.

The results of the application of Kristeva's theory of intertextuality, along with the researcher's field observations and the results of the citizens' questionnaire, showed that in the investigated area, according to the researchers' field impressions, while there are some of the 26 graphic tools under investigation, predominantly, a unique identity of the application do not exist in space creation, identity creation and beautification (except for the limited use of statues and murals) and secondly, the citizens who use the space (repeated use of the space) have acknowledged the lack of inducing a specific identity from the graphic tools available in the city center. Meanwhile, it seems that the development of Bojnord city and especially the downtown, regardless of the cultural values of identity, cannot reflect the special narrative of Bojnord city over time, and the result of this is the physical development of the city uniform with other cities and far from the specific identity of the city. The continuation of such a trend will result in the development of the city becoming alien day by day to "Bojnord" and its cultural factors; what will grow the "new" Bojnord city against the "old" Bojnord without paying attention to it. According to the field impressions and observations made in the sample under study, out of the total of 26 graphic tools examined, 14 items are within the available range, out of which, only two items are "murals (in some cases)" and also "statues, Symbols and monuments (to some extent)", have a special identity. It is worth noting that many graphic tools are selected and placed in the environment according to environmental requirements. The design of these tools in accordance with the identity of the city can strengthen these existential needs, but the harmony and proportion between the set of graphic tools that are placed in a combined environment is another issue that deserves more attention and investigation. As mentioned in this article, since cities have a social and cultural identity and each city has its own values and traditions, preserving these things in the narration of the text and image of the city can be very effective. Therefore, paying attention to the issue of value and especially the values emanating from history and culture, which directly play a role in creating identity, remembering civilization and narrating, should be taken into consideration by urban planners and should be considered in urban development policy making. Also, environmental graphics with the aim of guiding, informing, beautifying, increasing communication and interaction and ultimately creating identity in this process (by emphasizing the adoption of an intertextual approach in order to highlight identity-making subjects and new and attractive narration) can facilitate many affairs.

 as a component of the urban landscape, road sign systems are among the most critical elements of urban environments. Generally speaking, the written signs dominate the design of these systems. These signs can also foster aesthetic and visual pleasure compellingly and innovatively. Furthermore, they perpetuate a specific image in the minds of their observers. This research seeks to answer the question of what functions the written elements of the road sign systems of metropolitan Tehran serve and how these written signs relate to their audience.

The present article offers a semiotic analysis of the text in metropolitan Tehran's road sign systems vis-a-vis their audience. To that aim, the paper first goes over the strengths and weaknesses of the text in representing the language and reflecting the discursive language in the first implicative level of the text. It then employs the principles of visual arts to discuss the specific implicative levels of text (paralinguistic and non-linguistic) in which text takes on particular visual qualities.

The method of semiotic analysis has been used as research philosophy, theoretical tool, and method. Inductive research is a research sample strategy. The main approach of the research is a qualitative analysis, and in terms of time horizon, it has been done in cross-sectional research. Also, field research is done in terms of data collection, theoretical foundations and empirical background, library study, and qualitative data collection. The tool for collecting qualitative data in this research is interviews and documents.

 The research findings indicate that text may fulfill functions other than merely communicating its literal meaning. Specifically, its multiple implicative levels can help build identities in urban environments and inculcate a sense of spatial belonging and nostalgia in the urban audience. However, various challenges complicate the audience's communication of linguistic and visual meanings and concepts. These challenges include 1. Deficiency (or lack thereof) in utilizing Persian written signs to communicate with the target audience and in its stead using English text along with the use of the unclear and hard-to-read font (at the written level of the text); 2. Low-quality styling, arrangement, and layout of the urban road signs (at the paralinguistic level of the text); 3.A. lack of harmony among the fonts used in designing the road sign systems and lack of coordination between the fonts and the subject and function of the urban places; 3.B. poor choice of color in road sign systems; 3. C. The resemblance of the road sign systems to other experiences and lack of an independent ethos (at the non-linguistic level of the text).

 to enhance the communicative and visual aspects of the road sign systems of metropolitan Tehran, one needs to consider the various implicative levels of these systems. Utilizing bi-lingual text while prioritizing Persian fonts is helpful in clearly communicating the message to the audience (the linguistic level of the text). On the other hand, attention to arrangement, the harmony between the written elements and the function of a place, the appropriate color, and distinctive textual features in these systems combine to instill a sense of place, beauty, and attachment in the audience implications of the text (the paralinguistic and non-linguistic levels of the text).

Roland Barthes, the French structuralist theorist, proposes three theories based on the interactive relationship between the textual component and the image component: "descriptive" communication, "matched" communication, and "reference" communication. Barthes claims that these three patterns apply to all existing books and manuscripts. In this study, three theories mentioned in the illustrated manuscripts of Golchin Eskandar Sultan, Shahnameh of Baysanghari and Shahnameh of Mohammad Jouki from the Timurid period are studied. The purpose of this study, in addition to explaining and discovering the page layout pattern of this version, is to recognize the relationship between text and image based on Roland Barthes theory, to answer the question of how the connection between text and image based on Roland Barthes theory in this Three versions defined? And it is inferred that in all cases of research, the text box and the image box are present and the failure in the box is clearly visible in half of the cases. The title exists in half of the research cases and is included in the text, which is closely related to the text. The dominant element on the page is the "image", and in most cases of research, the title is placed in the text, and in half of the cases of research, failure is seen in the box. Although in all cases the image is centered on the page, in half of the cases there is a "reference" connection based on Barthes's theory, but in the other half the case, the connection is "identical". This research has been done by descriptive-analytical method and library collection method.

Interaction between the literary texts and illustrations has been considered as an important issue for miniaturists from a long time ago. Although miniaturists were mostly dedicated to the text in their work, sometimes it happened that illustrations were accompanied with exaggeration in epic and lyrical scenes. The Qarachqāy-Khān Shahnameh, as a case in point in this respect, is a renowned Safavid illustrated book of kings not considered seriously. The present research aims at studying the visual features of one the most well-known epic-lyrical stories in the Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, Bijan and Manijeh, from the viewpoint of interaction between the images of this story with the text of the book. Bijan and Manijeh in the Shahnameh is a romantic narrative mostly been illustrated by miniaturists and illustrators, especially the episode in which Bijan is entrapped in a deep well and freed by Rostam, the epic hero of Shahnameh. In spite of the domination of epic elements in Shahnameh illustration, the mentioned story during the Safavid era is displayed by adopting new visual approaches in showing feelings and expressions, moments, and different aspects of nature and life. There are five separate images in relation to this story in the Qarachqāy-Khān Shahnameh. Regarding the traditional connection between Persian miniature painting and literary texts in Iran, the present research is to study the dominant visual elements in the illustrations of Bijan and Manijeh story in Qarachqāy-Khān Shahnameh, as well as to examine the quality of illustration such elements in the related images of the narrative. The main question to consider in this respect would be as follows: What are the visual features of Bijan and Manijeh images in the Qarachqāy-Khān Shahnameh and how are the story elements been illustrated in such images? Adopting a descriptive method, the research will analyze the images on the basis of four main elements, including the illustration of events, characters and their role, setting, and the written poem (visual verse). To achieve better results, the essay has been divided into two parts. The first part is introducing the story of Bijan and Manijeh in Shahnameh besides its narrative elements, and the second one will analyze the illustrations and their manifestation in Qarachqāy-Khān Shahnameh. The results of the research, besides indicating perfect harmony among such elements and the text, show as well the illustrators’ attention to the lyrical aspects of the story, which could be regarded as an innovation in this Shahnameh. Furthermore, the present study shows the subtler aspects of life, such as displaying men and women’s relations, mutual affection, and feminine beauty. Regarding the romantic theme of the story, images have gone beyond the common features of a brave, elegant warrior, as seen in most illustrations of such books. The presence of Rostam and his heroic enterprises is also a part of this romantic story, being in conformity with the conclusion of the story.

No work is created spontaneously, but always has signs and features of the presence of pervasive patterns in its interior that have been effective in its formation. Many visual works that appear next to a written text, in addition to preconceptions of previous visual examples, take many of their creative aspects from the textual features they belong to. In this context, the way the written text is performed can also affect the visual text itself. Investigating these connections, which are interpreted as intertextual studies in the field of art and literature, is a suitable method to understand the intertextual relationship between two written and visual systems in a work. In this book, whose writing and images were created together and in a special solidarity and with a local and regional approach, it is one of the works that has been studied many times in terms of the theme and type of illustration And its image characteristics have been reviewed and expressed from different aspects but there are still uncertainties in its exact recognition. There is text and image. This makes it necessary to carry out this research, so that assuming that the text and image of Qabusnameh were created by the same person, to match its two written and visual systems and to evaluate their commonalities with each other with the aim of achieving a single discourse. In this process, the multitextual method is used as a subset of Genet's extensive studies called Transtextuality. And the result of this structural affinity indicates that many creative aspects in writing and image are similar.And the deep similarity between them indicates that the work is local and social in terms of the unity of the calligrapher and illustrator and the unity of the artistic style, without the restrictions imposed by the artistic patron.

The long affinity between “literature” and “painting” in illuminated manuscripts has had an old and deep effect on the form and structure of Persian Painting. In the middle of the Safavid era, creating single-leaf miniature expanded increasingly. It seems that in this era, the connection and struggle between the medium of painting and literature found a new form; Therefore, examining the works of Mo’in Mosavver, as the last real representative of the Isfahan school of painting, is of great importance in this regard. Research

The purpose of this study is to show how the historical connection between “literature” and “painting” evolved in at the later years of the Isfahan school of painting through a formal and structural evaluation of the relationship between “image” and “text” in the works of Mo’in Mosavver.Research

In this study, the paintings of Mo’in Mosavver were examined using an analytical-comparative approach and the findings of this analysis were interpreted with a historical approach in the evolution of Persian painting in the middle of the Safavid era.

The image of the “pregnant moment” in the illuminated manuscripts of Mo’in Mosavver represent a type of “implied temporality” that reminds us of the sequence of verbal narrative actions. also in single-leaf miniature of Mo’in Mosavver, a higher level of homogeneity can be observed between the medium, the content and the method of perception, since, apart from the narration, these works are limited to the arrangement of objects and beautiful figures. The traces of aesthetics deepening based on these works can be recognized in the miniatures of that era. These traces are seen where the number of figures and narrative micro-scripts are reduced in the images of these paintings and the painting focused more on illustrating the “pregnant moment”. As a result, it seems that in Mo’in Mosavver’s works, the connection and struggle between the text and image can be considered as a movement from “text” towards “image”, his movement, which is also seen in the Isfahan school, found more chance for growth and expansion outside the court’s conservative taste to create glorious and elegant illuminated literary manuscripts. This led to the creation of paintings with mimetic and stronger sensory aspects. At the time, this was reflection of a movement towards independence and further separation of the painting medium and from verbal narration.

From a linguistic point of view, the city can be seen as a text, consisting of different components and structures being related to each other beyond a sentence. Looking at the city from this point of view, what establishes a syntactic relationship and cohesion and coherence of the components of the city as a common language is called the syntax of the city. Linguistic study of the text of the city requires a branch of linguistics called text linguistics including linguistic rules and elements beyond the sentence. Every literary text arises from the joining of a set of sentences; the relation of these sentences is not just as random as the components of the city text, but the set of all elements and components in a regular relationship creates a structured and coherent whole and provides a harmonious continuum based on certain principles and rules. The combination of these sentences in the city follows both syntactic and semantic rules. Using the principles and rules of linguistics, this paper introduces a methodology for physical and content analysis of the city applying this method for the study of Sar-Tapulah neighborhood of Sanandaj, which is one of the most important neighborhoods of the historical core of this city, in order to evaluate and analyze the criteria of its textuality using urban design techniques and tools. Applying a pathological approach towards this area the paper aims to come up with the strengths and weaknesses of Sar-Tapulah neighborhood based on the textuality criteria. Therefore, the textuality test has been done in this neighborhood based on seven textuality criteria (cohesion, coherence, intertextuality, acceptability, informativity, intention, situationality) using selected urban design techniques and tools. The research findings show Sar-Tapulah neighborhood weak in terms of textuality criteria, and this weakness is due to the deterioration of the neighborhood fabric and lack of attention to the structure of the neighborhood and textuality criteria in its related renovations.

For archaeologists, historical texts are important in several ways; first, the written texts and second its examination in an archaeological context, along with other material of its context. In fact, the importance of the context is that the cultural material (here the text) is evaluated based on its social and historical context. Historical texts along with other facts, are important evidence to archaeologists. In the slave system of Qajar-era, servants were primarily a form of consumption and not an element of production.  A group of servants who served in the houses of the wealthy, included maids, gholams, and Khawjas. The black slaves were African, and they were traded through the Persian Gulf, and the white ones were of various ethnicities who were provided through trade or captivity in wars. The way this class was treated was often accepted by the community. The maids either entered the harem as a monk or a permanent wife, or to do housework for the elders' wives. The gholams were also employed in various fields of the military, domestic services, security, agriculture and irrigation, fishing and scuba diving (in the south), and achieved high administrative and military positions if they had the ability and expertise. Therefore, in this article, the Qajar slavery system, in two areas of south and southwest of Iran, were investigated by studying documents, written sources, and photographs of the Qajar period as text and cultural material through archeological approach and content analysis.

The creation of understandable and readable urban space is very important. In fact, humans interact with the environment when the received message from the environment is recognized in their Semiosphere. This indicates that paying attention to cultural meanings of environmental design is essential. Accordingly, this research aims to develop the production process of such a space, based on the linguistic paradigm. Despite the importance of this issue, there has been a decline of meaning in the modern era. Therefore, theorists criticize the modernist approach and try to find different solutions to this problem. Thus, in the transition from modern theory to postmodern theories, a wide range of theoretical paradigms have been recognized that are classified in the categories of phenomenology, linguistic theory (including semiotics, structuralism, post-structuralism, deconstructionism), Marxism, and feminism. Among these paradigms, linguistics has been developed in relation to the category of meaning. In fact, the revival of thought in the form of linguistic paradigms changed the postmodern cultural criticism. Meanwhile, semiotics, structuralism, and post-structuralism have been effective in the re-development of many disciplines, especially critical actions. These paradigms have once again focused simultaneously on meaning and symbolism in architecture and urban planning. This paper aims to develop the step-by-step process of designing readable urban spaces and identify the factors influencing the creation of such spaces based on linguistic theory. This paradigm was selected due to its ability to solve the problems caused by the perdition of meaning in the field of architecture and urban planning. In this paper, translation studies have been used as a knowledge related to the selected paradigm. In fact, this paper aims to achieve the ultimate goal of the research by using, scrutinizing and understanding the theories proposed in translation studies. The present study is an analytical study according to its purpose. This study uses the meta-theoretical approach as a type of Meta-Study approach. Therefore, historical and comparative methods are used in scrutinizing the theories proposed in translation studies. Having carefully examined the theories proposed in the field of translation studies, the authors have described the process of creating readable spaces according to the research purpose and problem. Meanwhile, the inefficiency of the traditional translation theories has been studied in creation of readable urban spaces. Eventually, the reasons for using modern translation theory and the application of this process have been explained using logical reasoning. The results of the meta-theoretical analysis show that the modern theory of translation and the cultural translation approach that leads to communicative translation is a desirable approach in producing a cultural text in the city. Finally, the process of creating readable urban spaces have been developed by adapting the modern theory of translation to the process of designing meaningful urban spaces. Accordingly, the urban designers should identify the metalinguistic realm of space and the city, and analyze the source of the language. Having applied the filter of culture and the discourses of power and ideology, the designers should identify the hidden and understandable signs and meanings of space and translate them in a process-oriented way. In other words, the cultural translation model is used as an optimal model for creating readable urban spaces. Thus, that the signs in the source text (from Lotman's point of view) represent the cultural identities. This means that the cultural text is produced in the semiosphere. In fact, semiosphere is a center in which texts are produced, and out of which chaos and disorder threaten the inside of the semiosphere. This issue is also important in the target text; meaning that the consideration of signs in the source text in the translation process should pass the filter of culture in the target text for producing a cultural text. Accordingly, in this process, the urban designer should use the signs in the semiosphere to provoke the continuity of meaning and create a cultural text. Otherwise, the produced text will have non-cultural and non-encrypted meanings for the users. There are semiospheres of other cultures within the semiosphere of any culture that interact and communicate with each other. This means that in the process of intercultural communication, some of the signs and meanings outside of the culture may be accepted.

Theater poster is one of inseparable part of the theater production in the modern era. Theater posters is not only an advertising to troupe stars or hall, but as the first element of theater that Approaches to the audience, like the other elements of drama and theater production, display information from the internal aspect of production to spectators and the audience. If the poster of the theater is not the theater’s first act, it’s an important one. The first information about the theater performs through the poster to the audience. Theater’s poster is not just an advertisement, an address, and so on. The poster invites us to the theater, tells us what kind of theater we are going to do (popular, political, intellectual, etc.) and many other information that can be presented in theater poster through dramatic action to the audience. Dramatic action is “a collection of events that together form the story and its original function is to reveal the character and the plot.” The above general definition of dramatic action makes two things clear: one is that the domain of dramatic action extends from the field of text and dramatic performances, and second that the transfer of the idea, the plot, and the theme through it is possible. Drama and dramatic action in two-dimensional arts such as poster is possible through different and intertextuality readings. A different aspect of the dramatic action on theater posters is that some graphic designers have been able to convey to the audience through dramatic action in the poster, theme or the essence of the dramatic effect. This study was conducted on descriptive- analysis method, theater posters designed by Michal Batory as a text, which is composed of different layers, based on the theories of semiotics is studied and tried to find a knowledge about dramatic action and transfer the theme and the concept of the theater in these posters.

During the recent years, despite the suffusion of the globalization discussions and expansion of the relationships in the virtual world, the place and sense of place are still in the focal point of the attention in many of the theoretical and empirical studies. The importance of integrating the objective and subjective approaches into these concepts underlines the balance and equilibrium in concomitantly dealing with the physical properties of the places and the social and cultural values of the society. In this regard, narrating the society’s stories, including memories, beliefs, values and myths in the urban space, would be effective in the strengthening of the bond with them. This is while the majority of the prior stories and events are neglected in dealing with urban spaces and places. Thus, it is necessary to deal with the society’s narrations in the text of urban space as the factor connecting the individuals to their living environments. The present article investigates the role of the society’s stories and their narrations in respect to the fortification of the sense of place. The main question is that how the sense of place can be reinforced and continued by the assistance of the narrations and readings of the society’s stories in the urban spaces? To do so, use has been made of a descriptive-analytical method to firstly review the texts and theories related to this issue and explore the experts’ concepts and notions; then, the primary concepts’ interrelationships are explicated and analyzed. Based on the positive and corroborating effect of the narrations of the place stories on the sense of place and within the format of the layered semiotic approach, the urban space will be introduced as a text and its stories are consequently considered as the textual layers. In order to preserve the coherence of the place’s text in whole, the role and value of the various layers of the place’s text- activities, form and imaginations- should be aligned with and strengthening the value and role of the textual layer of the place’s stories. To display the stories, it has to be specified within a context that which stories are of greater importance to society. Then, the physical and non-physical methods and elements showcasing them should be determined.

The criticism of photographs as material objects expands their indexicality. </span>Once considered as objects, </span>photographs connect with other senses thereby strengthening their bonds with the concrete material world. </span>This indexicality does not merely belong to the image, </span>and is also dependent of the materiality of the photograph. </span>In this sense what grants meaning to the photograph’</span>s materiality is in fact the bond between the photograph and the world turning them from merely materialist objects into emotional, </span>historical, </span>documentary …</span>etc. </span>objects, </span>occasionally causing pleasure whilst at other times bringing about awareness. </span>Leaving photographerly productions behind just because of material damages is a reminiscent of an old creature which is not abandoned as a lot of concepts are invested in it, </span>through which meanings are prioritised over matter yielding identity. </span>Among most important in the genre is portraiture, </span>as these works not only document the appearance of the subject, </span>but also occasionally cast light on their inherent, </span>internal features.</span></span></div>

The principal aspect of the Iranian paintings which makes them different from their contemporaneous works and also distinctive from its posterior ones would be the Artist's intention in creating aesthetic interactions between text and form as well as developing comprehensive theme of the same works. In fact the artist has done a great deal to use imaginary, fictional, lyric and historical events in the arrangement of his artistic composition to qualify his work (textual forms) from aesthetic points of view. The present research tries to study the answer to the most important question which asks about the quality of aesthetic aspects of form & text , their arrangement and composition in a framework whilst insists on interactions between text form display and aesthetic aspect of the same work. As a matter of fact, if the mentioned topic is to be studied through another outlook, it could be also studied if the presence of text in these paintings have been intentionally manipulated to attract the spectator's attention and concentration simultaneously to the image (text and form) to develop aesthetic scope of the same work, or the artist's effort to construct an imaginary balance of the work and the spectator's imagination capabilities have been viewed in the same artistic work? But, it seems that the artist has utilized this interaction as a visual quality in his work. So, in the present article it is tried to verify visual and aesthetic elements of the works while studying the visual factors of text and form to find aesthetic layers if the same work. By taking the above mentioned assumption into considerations, the aesthetic, context and comprehensive effects of texts have been assessed and studied. These studies besides the other structural and interactive roles of text and form in the selected works were instructed to hypothetical results. Therefore, it was understood that the view of specialists and artists who observe the Iranian paintings as the only textural imaging related to the text is not true! Furthermore, the analytical study of text and form and their qualitative and quantitative relations in creating a work with national characteristics had been the other aims of this research. So, in line with the present study two types of paintings were verified and assessed from the aesthetic and qualitative points of view. it seems that those paintings in which their artists have selected and arranged the text as a special composition are of particular visual interaction and comprehensive relation and if they are compared with the other works which their artist have used the text as the only textural elements among the image, the said provision could be sensed better. Thus, if these interactions in the Iranian paintings are analyzed and assessed through some assumptions that the whole artistic work is composed of color, text and form with their interactive relations, then you can find out the significance of the present research about the quality of interactive relations between text and form factors in the Iranian paintings.

In classical hermeneutics, the process of understanding is a mental operation realized the live human experience by it. Understanding opens our world and to us. According to Heidegger, understanding is the power to understand one’s own possibilities for existence and in the context of the global environment which the man lives in. The achievement way of the understanding, understanding layers and the issue of circularity of understanding are the concerns of the hermeneutic and ontological theologians. In this regard, Roland Barthes1, in his latest book, "Camera Lucida", in an understanding achieved from the photo as a text, considers the entities of the photograph context in a rotating circle of the audience and the life context and the dialectical relationship between the particular audience of the photo, the context of the photograph and the tradition in which the audience and the photo have raised. The circularity of understanding is one of the important issues discussed in the hermeneutics of Schleiermacher that today it is known as hermeneutical circle. In the history of the philosophy, Schleiermacher2 has remembered as the father of the modern hermeneutics. He has delivered the circularity of understanding to describe the understanding the text. While the later, Martin Heidegger3 and his student, Hans-Georg Gadamer4 , in his hermeneutical theory, did not dedicate this issue to the understanding and they developed and expanded this circle to the fundamental principle of human understanding on the nature and his state. Hermeneutics circle, totally, describes this issue that how the component and the whole, in the process of understanding and interpretation, are related to each other in form of a circle: understanding the components is necessary for understanding the whole, while understanding the components, there should be understood the whole. Our understanding of photos depends on the current situation of the interpretation and the interpreter and also the interpretation of photos is related to the world that the photo describes it. The appearance of such understanding circle can be observed so well in actions and reactions of the photography and in the conditions of the truthful sight. This paper, based on the text "Camera Lucida", has investigated the nature of hermeneutic circle of understanding on the interpretation of photographic works and has attempted to explore the representations of the understanding circle in the context of the photo.