مجله کاشان شناسی
سال پنجم شماره 1 (پیاپی 9، پاییز و زمستان 1391)

Afzal al-Din Kāshāni is considered to be a multi-dimensional scholar, poet and philosopher in Islamic and Iranian culture. The variety of his works and his profound perception of different philosophical and literary techniques make him outstanding among other scholars of his time. His approach to political philosophy and political writing is regarded to be a significant aspect of his life. “Sāz o pīrāya-ye šāhān-e pormāya”, written by Baba Afzal, seems to be a concise text on the nature of power, policy and government. Employing complex and technical writing style, this book eloquently describes the philosophical aspects of policy. Moreover, Bābā Afzal defines condition and method of governing through using Aristotle’s ontological ideologies. Applying Abu Nasr Al-Fārābi‘s attitudes which is supposed to be the primary political philosopher in Islamic countries, the present study aimed at elucidating the theoretical basis of Bābā Afzal’s political believes. This article is an attempt to indicate that Afzal al- Din’s approach to politics is rooted in a traditional ideology which is started from Fārābi and continued to Ibn Moskuyah, Āmeri, Ibn Khaldoun, Nizām al-Mulk, and Khāja Nasir. This study provides evidence that political philosophy of Baba Afzal and Fārābi includes a collection of ontology and methodology of philosophy and religion. Additionally, it is indicated that both Fārābi and Baba Afzal examine politics through ontological perspective. So, the onset of their work is appeared to be the origin of politics and its degrees.

Barzok is a historical and ancient city located in mountainous regions of Kāshān. Arranged in two section, this article is an investigation of ancient monument and history of Barzok through studying old documents. Due to the lack of precise and clear-cut pre- Islamic documents about Barzok, this research applied cultural and historical evidences such as language, folk literature, beliefs, and rituals to provide a holistic picture of Barzok's history. Considering inscriptions of Ilkhāni and Safavi era, Barzok's historical significance in Islāmic period is examined. There are authentic data about historical state of Qājār era. It is worthy to note that some books of Qājār period referred to Barzok. For instance, Nayebiān's attack on this city, Barzoki's courageous defense and their cruel homicide by Nāyebiān could not be removed from history's memory.The second section is aimed at scrutinizing ancient monuments such as inscriptions of Ilkhāni and Safavi era, ancient monuments of Tappe Ghale (means castle hill), the history of city's structures, Barzok's holy shrines such as Chehel Dokhtarān and Imāmzādeh Ahmad in Safavi era, along with Serāj Al-Din shrine and historical houses of Mousavi, Kardan and Ghāderi (anthropological museum). The present study introduces the inscriptions and documents in Barzok's anthropological museum which date back to Ilkhāni, Safavi, and Qājāri's era. A comprehensive review of these documents is also presented. The results indicate that Barzok is a significant cultural and historical state and investigators are needed to profoundly study and review it.

The effect of Qurānic expressions and meanings are vividly prominent in poems of Bābā Afzal. Words such as “Same’nā”(means we hear), “Ate’nā” (means we obey), “Rabbanā Zalamnā”(means we have wronged ourselves) and Qurānic expressions such as “everyone upon the earth will perish”, “everything will be destroyed”, and “there is no power except Allāh” have placed his quatrains high above. Furthermore, unique Qurānic concepts namely “the weight of trust”, “the falling of man”, “splitting of the moon”, and “permanency of the time of death” have immortalized his poems. It is noteworthy that poet directed this Qurānic verses and concepts to achieve special goals such as refinement, training, morality, mysticism. He assumed to avoid applying Qurānic expressions to display his poetic capability and knowledge. The present research aims at indicating the different types of Qurānic influences on Bābā Afzal. His intentions for the meaningful choices of Qurānic expressions and concepts are also elucidated. It is worth mentioning that great Islamic dictionaries don’t argue about the effect of Qurānic expressions on Bābā Afzal and his quatrains.

The present study is an investigation of wool weaving which is one of the most significant Iranian handicraft industry especially in Kāshān. Wool weaving or Textile weaving is an old traditional art in Iran. Kāshān is introduced as a center of silk cloths and Wool weaving. After carpet weaving wool weaving seems to be the most prevalent profession in Kāshān. With regard to the importance of wool weaving in the history of Iranian handicraft industry, this article presents a comprehensive review of the history of wool weaving. Then the industry of caterpillar and silk trade in old Kāshān is explained and various activities of wool weaving is argued. The different stage of textile weaving is also explained. Moreover, the different kinds of wool weaving such as termeh, brocade, and velvet are introduced. Finally, the status of wool weaving in modern society is stated.

Ahli Al-khorāsāni was an articulate and passionate poet who wrote sonnet in the ninth and tenth centuries after Hegira. Applying various literary techniques and artistic methods, he unveiled his lovely sensation and affection, and also his dreams toward alluring, angelic, and black-haired mistresses. There are two sonnets, written by Khorāsāni, in which he pointed out to Kāshān’s appealing and blackeyed mistresses. In addition to admiring those magnificent creatures, he depicted them as more brilliant and stunning than sweethearts form China and Tabriz. Considering a verse written by Masa’ud Saa’d Salmān, some of the investigators and etymologists argue that Kāshān refers to an splendid city located in Transoxiana. They obviously discuss that “Loa’bate Kāshāni” in Persian poems represents the aforementioned city. This study is an attempt to reject this argument through using literary and historical texts and evidences. It is proposed that whenwriting about Kāshān, Ahli and many other poets and writers intend to refer to the well-known city in modern Isfahan entitled as Kāshān, which has always been remarkable in science and literature.

The presence of color in the life of human being is rooted in his spiritual need. Color has some undeniable effects on the spiritual and emotional life of man. Additionally, Colors make people to think about the logic behind them. Each color may have a positive or negative effect on souls of individuals and cause them to feel highspirited or depressed. Color constitutes an important part of carpets. It seems to be the first feature of carpet which may catch the viewers’ eyes. As a precious artistic image of beauty, carpet is considered to be a unique artifact. Its attraction is due to the combination of colors and their conformity or nonconformity. A carpet plan composed of different colors may touch individual's soul and bring about different spiritual states. Different colors in carpets are resulted from various artistic and technical processes along with Iranian dyer's aesthetic and elegant work. Applying field method, library research method and descriptive approach, the present article investigate carpet dyeing in one of its birthplace, Kāshān. In addition to introducing carpet dyeing, this study examines different colors and miscellaneous methods of dyeing.

Ayatollāh Najafi Kāshāni is assumed to be an Islāmic scholar who hardly attempted to interpret Qurān in recent fifty years. During thirty years, he interpreted Qurān for two times for people of Kāshān. He attended in classes of masters of "Sath" (seminary lectures based on reading textbooks) and "Khārij" (seminary lectures not based on reading textbooks) in Najaf. Then he started teaching in Najaf and Qom. Along with writing an interpretation of Qurān, He start teaching the interpretation of Qurān to the public. His valuable collection of interpretations, composed of his methodology, is considered to be Kāshān’s written inheritance. The present study examines the life and works of Ayatollah Najafi along with his methodology of Qurānic interpretation.