The Conflict between Good and Evil in Three Samplesof Paintings of ‎Khavaran-nameh

In the history of ancient Iranians, two forces fought continuously. One is the power of light and brightness, which is the symbol of goodness and innocence, the other force of darkness that represents evil. The first force is the deity force and the second force is the demonic force. In many Iranian books, stories and legends, their idealistic battle can be seen. Among these works, Khavaran-nameh of Ibn Hesam is a valuable sample of the manuscripts of the Timurid period that was illustrated in the 9th century A. H. and it is one of the most prominent epic religious illustrated books which competently deals with the subject of good and its encounter with evil. What is important in this research is, how to make and to present the theme and narrative of the conflict between good and evil in the paintings of this original and surprising manuscript. The basis of this research will be based on historical, descriptive and analytical research, which is the collection of information in the library method and the description and visual analysis of the selected paintings is done by using the presented paintings based on the data matching and the results obtained from them.

‎Khavaran-nameh:

The manuscript of Khavaran-Nameh is an epic poem in which the legends and imaginary stories and the scenes of the fight and conflict of Imam Ali with demons and dragons and his bravery in battle and encountering legendary creatures and also the kings in the land of the East has been written. Among the Shiite, gradually, stories about Imam Ali have emerged, some of which are based on historical events, that is, his wars during the life of prophet Mohammad and during his caliphate and bravery. But steadily, story elements have been added to them. Some other stories are generally far from historical truth and are pure legends which gradually emerged among the people of Iran due to the strong sincerity of this people towards Imam Ali (A. S.) and his inclusion in the ranks of national heroes. Like the story of his heroic deeds in the land of East, which we see in Khavaran-nameh. The oldest and most exquisite illustrated manuscript of Khavaran-nameh that has survived from past centuries, a very exquisite and valuable version, which fortunately is now kept in the Golestan Palace Museum in Tehran. This manuscript was illustrated in the city of Shiraz under the support of the Turkmens which was written by Mohammad Ibn Hesam-addin Khosfi Birjandi, known as Ibn-Hesam, in 22500 verses and in imitation of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh in the year 830 A. H. and according to researchers, it is the last important and remarkable imitation of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh.

Painting of Imam Ali in the Battle with the Dragon:

This picture shows Imam Ali fighting with a dragon on a high hill. Imam Ali riding Doldol (his horse) with aura of fire around his head in the center of the image and the dragon can be seen under the feet of Doldol with its snake-shape body which extends from the bottom right to the left of the frame. Imam Ali that is riding Doldol, is galloping, holding the rein of Doldol with his left hand to control him and on the other hand, he hits the dragon's head with his right hand, which holds Zulfiqar. The dragon opens its mouth and screams in pain, and blood gushes from its head and face. Doldol, whose body is painted in pink color, has opened his four arms and legs and is galloping and his left hand has passed over the dragon's body, which somehow tells about his mastery over the dragon. In this painting, Imam Ali is shown in maximum dominance and power and he holds the reins of Doldol with one hand and guides it and with his other hand, he hits the dragon's head with Zulfiqar.

Painting of Imam Ali in Battle with Legendary Creatures:

In several paintings of Golestan palace paintings Imam Ali has been shown fighting with mythical and unreal creatures, among which the discussed painting is interesting and spectacular. In this painting, Imam Ali is riding Doldol in the center of the frame encircled by many strange and unreal creatures that are attacking and fighting him. These creatures, that have different faces, have been depicted in different postures; some of them are throwing stones and some of them are trying to attack Imam Ali or defend themselves with stick or mace in their hands. In this painting like most of the paintings in this manuscript Imam Ali can be seen with aura of fire around his head. He is riding on Doldol with a luxurious and blue clothe and is fighting with these imaginary and legendary creatures. He holds the rein of Doldol with one hand and with the other hand hits the head and the body of one of these creatures and spills their blood by Zulfiqar.

Painting of Imam Ali and Malik in a Strange Place:

This painting is one of the few painting of Khavaran-nameh that shows Imam Ali inside a building and a closed space and not in an open space. The identity of this place is unclear as the title of the painting suggests and it is only a place for the meeting of the Imam Ali with two animals, one of which is a lion and the other is an imaginary and unreal creature that have appeared in this place. Here, Imam Ali, unlike the previous paintings that was in the scene of battle, is neither riding on a horse nor holding Zulfikar in his hand; He has gone to confront those two beasts with the mace in his hand. Imam Ali still has strength and greatness even on foot and without sitting on a horse. He with an aura of fire on his head, with his left hand, he brings down the mace on the head of the wretched legendary creature, and blood flows down the beast's head and face.

The Confrontation between Good and Evil:

Usually, the element of contradiction and contrast has a prominent role in the creation of narrative and generally, it is considered one of the prominent elements of illustration and it enriches the subject and literary text, as well as it adds to the beauty and charm of the event and narrative in different ways. It also provides a suitable platform for creating a sense of suspense and excitement as well as increase attractiveness. The main part of Khavaran-Nameh is the battles and bravery of Imam Ali in the battlefields. Imam Ali, who has mythological aspects, is a symbol of goodness and all the good things that confront the creatures which are the symbol of corruption and evil. As mentioned, demons and mythical creatures are symbols of evil. The dragon is a legendary monster in the form of a reptile with wide wings and terrifying claws and teeth, and most of the time flames come out of its mouth and some people says his mouth is like the gate of hell by that reflect the depth of ugliness and abnormality. So the dragon is a symbol of demonic forces that try to destroy the good world and in Persian literature, it has been introduced as a manifestation of evil, ugliness and filth against gods and angels. on the other hand, Zulfiqar is the only forked sword and has miraculous power, it is one of the good symbols which Imam Ali fight dragons and other legendary creatures with.

Therefore, what can be seen from the text of the narrations and stories of Khavaran-nameh, the subject of the paintings is the conflict between the two powers of good and evil and it shows that Ali is the symbol of an ideal and epic human being, which is shown as a great hero in the vast scene of the battle of good and evil; and as a champion and warrior who is the epitome of goodness, sacrifice and bravery, he stands up against the world where evil forces live and protects people from misguidance, darkness and temptation of devils and demonic forces and guides them to happiness and eternal paradise.  In fact, the correctness of these historical narratives was not the aim and according to the people of the past time, the dragons and other legendary and imaginary creatures in these stories were considered to be definite and unquestionable facts that were symbols of evil that had to be destroyed. In other words, the writers of the Khavaran-nameh, by adding reality to their legends, in addition to getting closer to the gods, are seeking to establish their own ideal world in which there will be no evil and demons, and all of them will be destroyed by the powers of good and truth.