Explaining the Perceptual Jounry in Safavid Mosques, from Matter to Meaning based on Mulla Sadra's Views (Case study: Imam Mosque and Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque)

Jounrying in various perceptual hierarchy is one of the most thought-provoking issues in the thought of Shiite philosophers of the Safavid era, including Mulla Sadra, whose manifestation can be seen in mosques as the most characteristic architecture of the Safavid era. Although Mulla Sadra considers perception to be beyond matter, but in the spiritual journey based on the theory of substantial motion, the body of Safavid era mosques can provide the possibility of promote perception. The present study is interdisciplinary and descriptive-analytical. The purpose of this study is to investigate the perception of matter in meaning in Safavid mosques by analyzing the substantial motion of matter in the perceptual hierarchy of Mulla Sadra. The key question of the research is how the journey in the perceptual hierarchy of Safavid mosques promote perception?

Conclusion In this research, considering the spiritual journey in the perceptual levels of Mulla Sadra, for perception in Safavid mosques, it has been defined in four pillars of stillness, motion, connection and unity. After the pillar of stillness, in each pillar for some reason, it is possible to promoting the perception of the audience; In the pillar of motion, through substantial motion; In the connecting pillar, with the help of transparency and the presence of light; And finally in the pillar of unity, through the union of the observer with space. Through these elements, the observer becomes prone to promoting perception, from the sensory level to the imaginary and then to the intellectual.