The visual characteristics of the inscriptions of the illustrated flags of Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasb with an emphasis on the content of the inscriptional elements of the flags

Flag is a distinctive and distinguishing element among human civilizations and cultures, which can be considered as a symbol of the alliance of a civilization bearing a particular ideology during each era and being the source of the intellectual foundations of the earlier ages. The formation of the Safavid era in the tenth century AD, brought about political, cultural, and religious solidarity for Iran, so that the consolidation of Shiite-Islamic thought is visible in the works of this period, especially in manuscripts. One of the most outstanding Iranian manuscripts is Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasb which was portrayed in that era. The written elements on the flags in the combat scenes of the book clearly explain the religious contents of the period, which benefited greatly from the art of calligraphy. Identifying the flags and the concepts used in their illustrations, the present research explains the visual and expressive aspects of the flags involving written texts in Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasb. Therefore, this study has three main questions: 1. what are the most important visual components of the flags in the Shahnameh? 2. The writing elements of the flags of Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasb involve what literature, content, and content? 3. What are the intellectual foundations of the illustrated flags of Shahnameh? This research has been done through a survey-analytical method. The type of technique used is a documentary and library technique through which the statistical samples of manuscripts have been studied. Research is based on first hand resources and authentic researches. The results of the research indicate that the flags have been written by characters such as Naskh, Thallith, Nastaliq and colored by colors such as Azure, Gold, Sangrf, and decorated by Khatay and Slymi figures. The writing elements of the flags are in line with the beliefs, cognitions and intellectual foundations of the Safavid era as well as the Iranian originality and reflect the artist's dedication to the religion of Islam and the preservation of Iranian culture