Iconographic Analysis of Ravar’s "Layla’s Camel" Intra-hybrid Rug

The pictorial rug of "Layla’s camel" belongs to the Qajar era, in which the central image is occupied by the large body of an "intra-hybrid" camel; the outer shape is realistic and the inside is composed of a large number of small human and animal motifs. Creating patterns of some creatures in this way became popular in Iranian painting from the Timurid period, which reached its peak and popularity in the Safavid era. This method also was considered in the Mughal art in India at the same time as Safavid. In this article, the "Layla’s camel" rug is described and analyzed with iconographic approach and using library resources and some scientific websites. The purpose of this study is to introduce a specific example of pictorial carpet and analyze it in a scientific way. In this regard, an attempt has been made to answer these questions: How can the relation of rug inscriptions with its central image be read? What is the main theme of the story from the perspective of iconographic analysis? What is the irony of the collection of animal species that make up the body of "Layla’s camel"? What do the presence of the angel-harpy and the red-winged dragon symbolically mean in the rug? Poetic inscriptions in the margin of the rug, in harmony with the pictorial elements of the text, refer to the story of Layla’s wedding with Ibn-Salam and her farewell to Majnun, quoting "Maktabi_e Shirazi". But the main meaning of the story at this stage is the victory of good (Majnun) over evil (Ibn-Salam) by the animals. The "intra-hybrid" camel also consists of animals that Majnun was accompanied in the mountains and in the desert, but at the same time has a caravan of wedding joy. Also, the image of the angel-harpy in its ancient meaning is a symbol of victory, which refers to the battle of the animals that support Majnun with the dragon – Ibn-Salam– and kill him.