Study & Analysis of Brickworks of Maragheh Mosques Based on Theoretical Principles of Visual Arts

The visual arts are those creations that are seen instead of being heard. These include such forms as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, handicrafts, architecture, etc. Architecture is the process and product of planning, designing, and constructing buildings or any other structures. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often considered cultural symbols and works of art. Historical civilizations are often identified with their surviving architectural achievements. As a form of visual art, Architecture has always been accompanied by beauty and one of the methods of creating beauty in Iranian architecture is the use of decorations, which has played an extensive and valuable role in the emergence of Islamic architecture. These decorations are mostly combined with visual qualities and fundamentals of visual arts and thus, they create a beautiful and pleasing appearance.
Architectural ornaments have been among the most ancient components of Islamic art. Since the eighth century onwards, partial and, more often, overall decoration of buildings has been a characteristic feature of Islamic architecture. Religious monuments as well as secular complexes have been decorated with an array of styles and techniques that reflected the multiplicity of Muslim societies and their cultural expressions.Until the eleventh century, most decorative techniques such as the use of ornamental brickwork or moulded stucco and mosaics in the Muslim world were inherited from pre‐Islamic cultures and societies. As one of the main ornamental elements of Iranian and Islamic architecture, brickwork is evident in most traditional buildings in Iran particularly the mosques, and considering this issue, the mosques of Maragheh city, as one of the cultural and historical cities of Iran, are very important.This article aims to analyze the brickworks of Maragheh mosque based on the theoretical principles of visual arts and answer this question that how the brickworks of Maragheh mosques have been used and how they inspire the viewers.The research has been conducted employing a combination of field study and descriptive-analytical method. The tools used to this purpose include observation and imaging of mosques and their brick decorations and desk study of library resources. The statistical population are the traditional Maragheh monuments and Maragheh traditional mosques are statistical samples.A look at the history of the mosques in the city of Marghah reveals that almost all of them were constructed during the Safavid era which is one of the periods when Iranian art flourished and religious buildings such as mosques became more important. During the Safavid period, the Seljuk style of brick decoration expanded in scope from the pure structure stage to the first level mediator.Bricks are used in the vast majority of mosque's facade and the photos taken indicate that the they are one of the visual features of beauty. Two of the items of visual quality are significant in this structure: one is rhythm and two, are the fine movements in the decoration therein which inspires its invisible and sacred unity.Contrary to the above, the contrast principle in decoration is not used to prevent tension and instability and conflict with the viewer of the building. Generally, artist's feelings are delivered with using the visual principles in the interior decoration of the building and can be transmitted internally and externally.