Understanding Geometrical Structure and Foundation in Patterns and Decorations of Seljuk Arts in Iran

Interwoven geometric patterns and ornamentation are the commonality of numerous artistic and architectural ornaments in the Great Seljuk era. Although underlined in a number of works by Islamic art historians as the artistic, and particularly architectural, feature of this era, it is difficult to utilize their results to achieve an accurate understanding of the structure of the geometric ornamentation used in this era, and of its similarities and differences with the adopted styles in other historical periods due to their emphasis on offering a general description of this structure. Such phrases as “interwoven”, “continued application of past elements”, and “more complicated details and configurations” have been typically used to describe the structure of geometric ornamentation employed during the Great Seljuk era. The main difficulty of such descriptions lies in their lack of differentiation between this structure and those employed in previous eras, going back to the first instances of Islamic Art and even to the more distant past. This poses a number of fundamental questions: How can the geometric structure used in Seljuk ornamentation be simultaneously regarded as its essential feature and as a continuation of earlier geometric styles? How and to what extent could “more complicated details and configurations” have brought prominence to the Seljuk geometric style? Moreover, can the emergence of this style, as a prominent pattern, be attributed to its being founded on a new and different structure? The main aim of the present study is, therefore, to understand and identify the geometric features and language used in ornamentation of Great Seljuk artworks as artistic qualities of this period. To this end, information about the art history of the Seljuk era was collected and classified using the descriptive-analytical method. Furthermore, the geometric patterns of this era were implemented and the graphic styles were sought and compared by referring to the artworks of this period. Although the artistic features of this era are closely associated with past and future art forms, the main scope of discussion was limited to the time when Tughril arrived in Baghdad and was awarded the title of “Sultan” by the ruling Abbasid Caliph in 447 A.H. until the death of Sultan Ahmad Sanjar in 552 A.H., where the structural changes in geometric patterns of this era were examined by a brief inquiry into the structure of geometric patterns coming before and after. The tabular geometric style, which was an early style used in pre-Seljuk art, was initially studied and explained. The compass geometric pattern, which was a new pattern, was then examined. The simple and basic instances of designs created by this pattern date back to the fourth century A.H., which was developed and flourished during the Great Seljuk era. The results of this study suggested that the two early and new geometric patterns were used simultaneously in the Great Seljuk artistic ornamentation, and particularly architecture, shaping the structure of geometric ornamentation of this era.