Examining the Speaking Tree from the Perspective of Imagination in Sohrawardi View

Iranian carpets have always been the epitome of beauty and represent the beliefs of different peoples of this land. Among the various plant and animal designs, carpets with the speaking tree also have a special place in this art. The speaking tree and the waq waq tree are examples of legendary trees that have been included in Islamic culture and art. This role is in the heart of several other cultures and it is mentioned in the Quran. Sometimes the creation of these motifs is due to the imagination or reaching excellence in the artist. Sheikh Eshraq is one of the people who deal with imagination in the topics of epistemology and ontology, and he is considered the first theoretician of the ideal world in Islamic civilization. This article, after stating the background of the role of waq waq in cultures and carpets and presenting a description of the power of imagination and its function as the epistemology of imagination (connected imagination), deals with the relationship between the two. This research shows that the role of the speaking tree in the carpet can be analyzed in such a way that the shape of the tree, with its curved and symmetrical shape, shows a combination of symmetrical branches and the shape of animals arising from them. This role is the result of imaginary perception connected to the human soul and is a creative work. There have been traditions related to the waq tree. Therefore, according to the meaning that already existed for it and the combination that occurred between the role of the tree and the animals in it, it can be said that the imagination has given it a form through the abstract method of composition and refinement.