Comparative Analysis of the Content of the Goharshad Mosque inscriptions with Shia Intellectual Principles in the Timurid and Safavid periods

Inscriptions as conceptual and decorative elements in Islamic Architecture are important tools for the representation of religious beliefs and policies, and because of their written nature, express the ideas and thoughts of their era. Goharshad Mosque in Mashhad as one of the masterpieces of Islamic-Persian architecture has various inscriptions with religious themes, which have been frequently restored in various historical periods. This paper by use of comparative-analytical method, library sources and observation, both introduces Timurid and safavid inscriptions of this sacred place, and analyses them below the Intellectual principles of Shiism. It also comparatively shows that how these themes during the time, along with religious and cultural trends of artists and politicians, have been subjected to qualitative and quantitative changes. Research findings show that in both periods, there are inscriptions with Shiite theme. These themes, in Timurid period, were influenced by dominance of Sunni religion in the country, emergence of Sufi-Shiite movements and the circles of worship and Sufi communities. While in the Safavid period, by separation of religion from Sufism and Shiite dominance, we see explicit themes which refer to the most important intellectual principle of Shia, i.e. Imamate. A comparative study of the contents of the inscriptions is a new way in understanding of religious art and the impact of the religion on the epigraphy at different periods of the history of Islamic-Iranian art.