The Evolution and Development of Predator Bird Design in the Handicrafts and Architectural Decoration of Iran (From The Sumerian Civilization until the Safavid Era)

Iranian artists throughout the history have endeavored to express the complex concepts of religious, political, military and cultural features in the simplest forms of plant, animal, human and text lines in addition to various ornamental elements. One of the outstanding and little-known motifs in the decorative arts of Iran are birds of prey that hunt various creatures such as lions, leopards, deer, ram, fish and birds. The use of this theme initiated from Sumerian civilizations and has continued until the Safavid era.In the pre-Islamic civilizations, predator birds were drawn with a figure of an eagle and the head of a lion, eagle and griffin and became a symbol of religious, military or political power of the rulers of the Sumerian, Elamite, Achaemenid, Parthian and Sassanid monarchies. By the acceptance of Islam by Iranians, the use of such ancient motifs continued and became more popular; however, during the Safavid era minor changes were applied such as the use of eagles, peacock and simorgh designs. In this paper, it is initially attempted to introduce the various types of birds of prey in different historical periods, in addition to the evolution and development of the symbolic concepts related to each creature. The research methodology of this paper follows a descriptive and historical method and data is collected via library and documentation methods. By classifying each symbol in terms of appearance and concept it is known that the use of such symbolic creatures was to convey the religious, political and military power of the rulers of Iran throughout its golden history from the Sumerian civilization until the Safavid era.