مجله هنر و تمدن شرق
پیاپی 41 (پاییز 1402)

Iranian studies, as a branch of orientalism, in the past two centuries that have passed since its emergence and development in the West, have always been stated on the basis of concepts that do not have Iranian origin. Of these concepts, the historical-cultural borders of Iran should be noted which Western Orientalism draws it not on the basis of Iranian historical resources, but on the modern political borderlines, particularly the 20th century (e. g. Matthew, 2000, 2007; Barr, 2012). In such politicized historical-cultural boundaries that the West has determined for Iran, the Iranian art, literature, history and cultural heritage are not beyond its current political borderlines. While the historical existence of Iran is presented in discrete and scrappy ways. For example, in such a show of cultural-historical discontinuity of Iran, the two Elamite and Sumerian civilizations, which are separated from each other only by the natural border of Arvandrud River, are two different worlds; and Sumer is noted that as the cultural heritage of a newly emerged nation-state so-called as Iraq, which, according to European and exclusively British archaeologists and orientalists, is the aftermath of the WWI. Of course, a new history is also required for every recently emerged nation-state that must be built for it (Matthews, 2007; Barr, 2012).   Western Orientalism has not even paid attention to the paradox raised between linguistics and ethnography in one hand and historical-cultural geography and anthropo-geography on the other hand: for instance, the Zagros Mountains, which stretches from the south of Lake Van - in present-day Turkey - to the northern shore of the Strait of Hormuz, in the past two millennia, has been the homeland of various Iranian-descended peoples and chiefdoms, which, according to Sharaf al-Din Badlisi, in his book of Scheref- Nameh: Histoire des Kourdes (1596), are all branches of the great Kurdish people. According to Badlisi’s writing, these people seek their background from Ferdowsi’s Persian masterwork of Shahnameh and regard themselves to be the survivors of the youth who fled from the grip of Zahhāk the devil to the mountains; even Bidlisi, who was the grand chiefdom of Kurdistan, traces his lineage back to the Sasanian kings (Bidlisi, 1860, 8-12). However, the Western Orientalism studies and presents the cultural heritage of Kurdistan, which is a part of the western territory of Iranian world from Erbil and Sulaymaniyah to Diyarbakir, Bidlis, Urfa and Mardin (Bidlisi, 1860), apart from the history of Iranian civilization (e. g. Matthews, 2000, 2007). As if Medes and Urartu are two separate historical entities from Iran, Western Orientalism has faked an ancient background for the new emerging Caucasian states of Azerbaijan and Armenia; both of them isolated from the history and archeology of Iran. Of course, on the order of the former USSR Academy of Sciences, they must justify the historical existence of the newly established republics of Azerbaijan and Armenia as the inheritors of Medes and Urartu (e.g. Дя́конов, 1956; Пиотровский, 1959). Therefore, the first step in this rethinking is to understand the historical-cultural boundaries of Iran. For example, in the writings of Iranian Ilkhanid-Safavid historians and authors such as Nuzhat al-Qulub composed by Hamdallah Mustawfi Qazwini (1340) and Ahsan-al-Tawārikh by Hasan Beig Romeloo (1576) its borders are clearly familiar. Even Friedrich Sarre (1910, 120-160), the famous German Turkologist, by categorizing the architectural works of the 12th to 15th centuries from the cities of Nakhichevan, Samarkand, Bukhara, Konya and Akshahar into the category of the works of Iranian art and architecture, confirms such an opinion. According to the present author, Iran’s history, archeology and cultural heritage cannot be discussed and studied within the framework of current political borderlines; for the reason that its historical-cultural scope is far beyond current politics. Therefore, for example, terms such as the Bronze Age culture of Kura-Araxes and ETC -coined by Russian B. A. Kuftin and British C. A. Burney- are meaningless. While the Sumerian civilization, which interacted with the Bronze Age cultures of Kerman and Sistān and Baluchistan for nearly two millennia (Majidzadeh, 2003, 5-19), is an inseparable part of Iran’s past. Even more, from its sunrise to sunset, Urartu has spent its history within the lands that Iranian historians and geographers of the Ilkhanid-Qajar periods know them by the historical names of Azerbaijan and Kurdistan.

In the archaeological test soundings of 2007, spaces have been discovered in the southeast of Rab’-e Rashidi, which, although they have been described and introduced as the remnants of an Ilkhanid bath, but the use of that has not been confirmed yet. Therefore, these questions and hypotheses are raised about the structure discovered in the southeast corner of the Rab’-e Rashidi, what was the function of this structure? And its relative chronology goes back to which century? In the analysis and interpretation of the present research, two hypotheses of Gazargah (laundry) and Soqaya, confrontation, and then based on the hypothesis of Soqaye, the date of the 14th century is proposed for this structure. The methodological foundation of this research is based on history, i.e. the study of the al-Waqfiyya al-Rashidiyya and other early sources of the Ilkhanid period, as well as the comparative study of the common structure of bathes in the Islamic centuries, Soqaya and Gazargah; Therefore, after analyzing the technical, physical and architectural characteristics and space-making of the subject of the study, in the second step, while extracting information related to Rab’-e Rashidi buildings and especially the buildings related to the two hypotheses of Gazargah and Soqaya from the historical sources of Ilkhanids and especially the al-Waqfiyya al-Rashidiyya. This information is matched with the information obtained from the architectural stage. In the third step, the information extracted from the previous two stages, history and architecture, is matched with archaeological information to obtain the final result. The historical and architectural evidence based on the logic of abduction, considers the hypothesis of Soqaya of Rashidiyya more close to the realty; Then, according to the al-Waqfiyya al-Rashidiyya, the relative chronology of this structure reaches the Ilkhanid period and the first half of the 14th century AH.

AbstractKurds are one of the most numerous ethnic groups that have migrated to the northern part of Khorasan province in different periods for various reasons. Studying and showing the development of clothing of different ethnic groups in the past and present is a valuable field for identifying, introducing and protecting their values ​​in today’s turbulent and modern society. We will get to know the fabrics and motifs used in them as well as the impact of their lifestyle on their clothes. Based on this, the current research seeks to find the commonalities and differences in the clothing of nomadic and non-nomadic Kurdish women of North Khorasan, and its purpose is to study the clothing of nomadic and non-nomadic Kurdish women of North Khorasan, and to protect this clothing. Therefore, this research was conducted in a descriptive-analytical and comparative method, and its data was a combination of library and electronic information, as well as the author’s objective observations and field information, which were effective in reaching the conclusions of the research. The results showed that the clothing of nomadic and non- nomadic Kurdish women of North Khorasan differ from each other in structure and shape, and the clothing of nomadic women is less decorated with brief decorations, with the use of more variety and breadth of colors, and stronger and more resistant materials; And the clothes of single-seated women are full of patterns and elegant, along with many decorations, they have soft and delicate material. Colors such as yellow and white are used in small areas to enrich the background color. The common role of the clothing of the nomadic and the non-nomadic lady is crinkle, which each of them has used in their clothes in some way.

Holy Quran and hadiths have provided a detailed description of heaven. It has been described as dense trees and streams flowing under the trees, and magnificent palaces that are the permanent residence of Muslims. Iranian gardens have always been a manifestation of heaven and heavenly gardens. A combination of green space and the function of the buildings within which located, Iranian gardens have been placed in different categories and had various functions. The present study compares the functions of the gardens in Islamic teachings with the Iranian garden and investigates the factors affecting the realization of Islamic teachings in the functional system of the Iranian garden. It also seeks to answer the following questions: To what extent the function of the Iranian garden corresponds to the function of the garden of Islamic teachings? What factors and how do they affect the realization of Islamic teachings in the functional system of the Iranian garden? These questions were answered by a descriptive-analytical method and a comparative approach. In the first step of data collection, using the document-library method, the components of the garden of Islamic teachings were extracted and examined in eleven samples of Iranian gardens. In the next step, with field interviews and using the Delphi method, the factors affecting the realization of Islamic teachings in the functional system of the Iranian garden were identified and examined based on the opinions of experts. In line with achieving the study goal, by comparing the Iranian garden and the garden in Islamic teachings, it can be concluded that the gardens in Islamic teachings can be classified into different categories based on their function, pavilion garden, house garden, fruit garden, Takht garden, water garden, and enclosed garden.The factors that play a role in the realization of Islamic teachings in the functional system of the Iranian garden include the sociological components of the political and social position of people and the geography component of the climate of the region), which cause limitations in the realization of Islamic teachings. Also, the sociological components of culture, security, and economy and the geography component of land toll are the strengthening factors and are in line with Islamic teachings. The results show that the components of the limiting factors have a greater impact than the components of the strengthening factors in the realization of Islamic teachings in the function of Iranian gardens. Among the limiting factors, the sociology component has a greater effect than the geography component.

Nizâmî’s Haft Peykar, which through its depiction and description of architectural states and features directly and indirectly presents architecture and architectural spaces, provides valuable material for understanding and comprehending the architecture of the past and the architectural culture of Iran. The study of the text of this work reveals that architects pay attention to elements that give shape and vitality to the buildings they create. In his work, Nizâmî describes two buildings, Khawarnaq Palace and Seven Domes, along with the events taking place inside them, which can shed light on the elements and symbols associated with architecture. The research methodology employed in this study is descriptive-analytical and historical. It is based on library research, involving the interpretation and analysis of content to examine the mentioned buildings. The study focuses on several structures mentioned in the text, namely the Khawarnaq Palace, and Seven Domes, as well as the mentioned architectural features, characteristics, and symbols. The research findings indicate that each of the aforementioned areas has rules and frameworks for describing and explaining the architectural culture of the order in the text. The architectural characteristics of the mentioned structures and elements and symbols related to architecture and the poetic and architectural narrative of the work include attention to the grandeur and magnificence of the structure, its form and appearance, suitability for lifestyle and use, customs and cultural aspects of life within the building, consideration of ancient patterns such as iwans, attention to its location, neighboring structures, and the focus on color and its meanings in verses, hierarchy, views, condition and quality of materials, attention to form and shape and its influence on the evolution of the story, attention to celestial sciences and stars, etc. Furthermore, the role of the architect in relation to the client, the multi-disciplinary expertise of architects, the prescription of lifestyle and style by the architect, etc., are features of architecture in Haft Peykar by Nizâmî.

The bilateral connection between water and Iranian cities has made development and continuity of settlement possible over many centuries; In the contemporary period, the water supply system was dominated by technology, and as a result, the relationship between settlements and this vital element underwent a fundamental change. The great challenge of water shortage, which is the result of breaking the biological-cultural relationship of several thousand years of Iranian people with the territorial component of water and the methods of obtaining it, is now the most critical situation in the territory. Residents of the south of Fars province (Larestan) have found sustainable solutions for obtaining water according to geographical and climatic conditions, which are being forgotten in the contemporary era.Recognizing the link between the components of the water access cycle and the formation of the urban fabric in old Larestan is the operational goal of the research. For this purpose, the traditional water techniques and structures before the modernization of the water supply system of the Larestan region were investigated using a qualitative method.The main result of this research shows the structure of the ancient cities of southern Fars province has been influenced by natural and artificial hydrography and underscores the development of the fabric. The information obtained showed that the settlement in this area was based on the two principles of flood water storage using traditional water structures and its distribution method and created a balance between the city and nature.

One of the constant challenges of the cities of the central plateau of Iran has been to deal with the problem of water shortage in all eras a challenge that has led to the emergence of the ingenuity of the inhabitants of this territory in the ways of using water. Among these methods that have been used in the desert city of Semnan has been extracting water, directing and collecting it in water storage pools, and then dividing it between agricultural lands. According to the historical and existing evidence, this water supply structure was the main infrastructure of the city’s formation and the author’s studies show that this infrastructure has been prominent, alive, and dynamic as a scenic infrastructure in all eras. The various functional, identity, and aesthetic dimensions in different physical, semantic, cultural, and social fields that can be identified in the knowledge of this structure introduce it as a scenic infrastructure that undoubtedly played a fundamental role in shaping the landscape of the old city. The role that, with the arrival of modern urban infrastructure, including the modern water supply network, not only has no role in the emergence of the new city landscape but is losing its color in today’s city landscape. This is despite the fact that keeping such an infrastructure alive can not only respond to the aesthetic and physical aspects of Semnan’s urban landscape but due to the various layers of meaning loaded on it, it can also cover the social and public gaps in the field of urban planning.