Showing 7 results for Decoration
Volume 3, Issue 1 (8-2011)
Abstract
Education and Training were of great importance in Iran since ancient times. It was further developed along with Islam uprising. Education centers were also flourished at the same time. The process of the religious sciences schools initiated in Saljuqid era formally when the Nezamies were established. They continued their survival more or less until Qajar era, So that we find most of mosque-schools in Tehran as the time capital of the country that is why we believe that the study of such buildings from the view points of the architecture and the related decorations is a must. The greatest and the most important mosque-schools of the Qajar era in Tehran is the old Sepahsalar.
It has experienced the least changes in more recent times; so it is an original sample of the mosque-schools. In this paper we attempt to study and consider the architecture and decorations characteristics of this building. Therefore, we evaluate its history, general map, spatial and functional elements and decorative methods applied in this mosque-school through a descriptive-analytical approach.
Volume 4, Issue 1 (4-2014)
Abstract
Association between form and meaning in Islamic Art and Architecture is a category which is impressible from the cosmological foundations of Islam. The kind that, the relationship between form and content is the same as spirit and body, and the matter is getting its honor from the munificence of meaning. Accordingly, it can be said that the form of the work in Islamic Art is the embodied image of meaning and content, and reflects our beliefs and religious truths. These meanings are rooted in the divine realm and Muslim Artist is capable to provide them with intuition and self-revelation as form and different shapes of Art, and by this act would leads man to the higher dignity of existence, and ultimately to the transcendental unity. Islamic Art, in complete, is the abstract, transcendent, and mysterious art reflecting religious basis. Prayers and traditional rituals in Islamic world are also mysterious embodied in the environment and places of worship. Altar as a worship space in religious monuments has a dual identity. While, it is considered as a worship space to prayer and religious practice, it has an arrays and decorative elements too. So, it would be placed among the sacred arts which come from the theme of spiritual realities, and it has a structure which is predicated to the religious meanings. The present study has followed the structural and conceptual analysis of decorative elements used in the luster altar of Imam Reza Holy shrine and By investigating them not only to discover inserted meaning of them, also pay attention to interpretive statement about the relationship between these elements with religious concepts and ritual meaning on the one hand, and the time and place Identity of the altar, on the other hand. This luster tiles’ altar with over 700 years of antiquity, is consider as one of the fine works and masterpieces of Islamic- Iranian art and architecture. This altar, at 273 × 220 cm, has been made as mezzo-relievo by use of luster tile and in the past, it had been fixed on the Southwest wall of holy shrine before the face of Imam Reza (AS). This valuable work has been made in Kashan at the 612 BC, by Muhammad Ibn Abi Tahir, one of the Shiite’ Artists in Kharazmshahian period. The Altar has three arches and two border around them which has been drawn a line of turquoise tile on the outer margin of it. Every three arches have inscriptive margins. At the first, form and structure of this Altar would be investigated in a descriptive manner and by giving a linear plot of the hidden geometry of it we would briefly introduce the Inscriptions and the themes used in them. In the main part of the study, structure, decorations, and themes raised in the inscriptions would be studied in an analytical, interpretive, and historical manner. In the surveys which have been done, we didn’t find any research that in detail pay attention to this subject. In some cases, the authors of Astan Quds and the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS) have mentioned this Altar in their history books and some of them have also described it. Scholars of Islamic art like Watson in Persian Luster Ware and Porter in Islamic tiles have also briefly introduced it. The brief result of research reveals that Islamic architecture, especially sacred architecture, is a manifestation of divine beauties and a glowing example of a combination of symbolic forms associated with our deep meanings and beliefs, so we believe that this relationship can be expressed in the deepest mysterious levels of this Altar. Each of the decorative elements used in the sanctuary, Such as colors, arches, paintings, lines and scrolls, pilaster, and Mogharnas, in shape and their structure, reflects spiritual realities and meanings that the Knowledge of them had been possible to a worshiper during the prayer by passing the formal universe to the divine world. These meanings reflected from the divine world, and manifest the concepts such as the presence of God, resurrection, release from Nether world and ascension into the celestial world, twinkle of divine light, transcendental unity, meditation and inner purification. These concepts are very close to prayer and ritual activities. The general structure of the altar with triple arch and salient pilaster reflects the original states of prayer in one hand, and the spatial visualization of prostration on the other hand. Consecration of the Holy shrine to the Word of God, to induce discipline and unity of existence, inward focus and spiritual stability, constant repetition and remembrance of God into the heart of the prayers are considered as a most important function of structure, motifs and inscriptions engraved on the altar. These elements by creating the beauty, order and unity are able to influence on the spirit of worshiper and bring to him the Coordinate space for perception of lofty spiritual concepts. explicit beckon to the time of daily prayers in the outermost edge of the Altar, change the kiblah direction, Authentic hadith mentioned in the dignity and greatness of Imam Reza, the message of peace and victory for the Muslims, Humility in prayer, emphasizing the superiority of Islam are the themes raised in the inscriptions of the altar and mostly shows Shiite tendencies. Finally, It can be said that the choice of text and decorations have been done in proportion to the identity of Altar and location of it in the shrine of Imam Reza (AS), Social and religious conditions of early seventh century AH and boost the morale of Shiite minority against the constraints and possible problems. In simple terms, they are affected by the cultural, religious and doctrinal conditions of its period of emergence. In addition, we can achieve the unique comparative fit between contents of Inscriptions and decorative elements of the altar. As if here, designs are the visual translation of the texts, and Heavenly and divine meanings of each one indicates to empathy between scripts and motifs in the realization of an Islamic fine work.
Volume 7, Issue 1 (4-2017)
Abstract
Islamic architecture has included all architectural aesthetic elements with mystic viewpoints; however, this art shows different indicators according to developments in each period and region, which distinguishes it from other periods and demonstrates the culture of that specific region. This article studies Islamic architecture of Central Asia and changes in the early 16th/10th to late 17th AD/11th AH, respectively. In this regard, it briefly explains political, social, and cultural conditions of Central Asia in the mentioned period, which indicates the effectiveness of social conditions for architectural art, decorations, construction materials, and finally growth and progression or decline and stagnation. The architectural works created in this region have the most significant executive facades with highly pleasant designs, not only in Samarkand and Bukhara, but also in the entire Central Asia.
Among the main problems that prevent researchers from investigating Islamic architecture is lack of access to major historical monuments. Therefore, to select the samples and buildings of this article, some important types of Islamic architecture such as schools and mosques are emphasized.
The research method of this article is historical-analytical, in which social dimensions of the mentioned periods are considered through a scientific approach.
Most of the books in this regard have been written in the original language, some in English and a few in Farsi. Since this study is focused on visual details, documentary photography images with high resolution are needed.
1-1. Objectives:
1. Examining developments in Islamic architectural art and its special features in Central Asia during the 16th-17thAD/ 10th-11thAH;
2. Introducing remarkable monuments related to the 16th-17thAD/ 10th-11thAH in Central Asia and comparing their remarkable similarities and differences
1-2. Research questions
1- What are remarkable similarities and differences among Islamic architectural works in Central Asia during the 16th-17thAD/ 10th-11thAH?
2- What are remarkable monuments and major architectural centers in Central Asia during the 16th-17thAD/ 10th-11thAH?
Contemporary with Uzbek Sheybani dynasty in the 16th/10th AD/AH and Ashtarkhanian in the 17th AD/11th AH, a reduction in the political and economic contact between Central Asia and other countries as well as intensity of internal conflicts in the region led to social crisis along with architectural and urban decline in this region. But in general, it is possible to state that, in the second half of the 16th AD/10th AH, building construction and architectural processes have been almost improved and constructing new public and cultural buildings as well as bridges, caravan paths and roads, cellars, caravanserais, bathrooms, firms, schools, monasteries, mosques, and cemeteries have undergone a growing process.
The most important features of architecture in the 16th AD/10th AH have been reflected in Bukhara's monuments such as Mir Arab and Abdullah Khan Schools and the new wall around Bukhara. Also, a famous bridge has been built over Zarafshan River, and Sheybani School has been constructed at the beginning of the century in Samarkand. Also, Ulugh Beg School, located in this city, has been restored and repaired.
Kalan Mosque, Boland Mosque, Haji Zeynolabedin Mosque, Tashkand Siunji Khan Tomb, and Abdollatif Sultan School (Kook Gonbad) in Uratapeh city in modern Tajikistan are some examples of the buildings constructed during this period. Charbekr Architectural Complex in Bukhara can also be added to the list.
By studying the buildings in Central Asia during the 16th AD/10th AH, it can be inferred that traditional and modern methods beside each other has been mostly applied in mosques and schools. But, regarding public buildings, there has been a tendency to construct modern buildings. Also, in constructing Central Asian buildings of the period, some innovations can be observed in terms of the design and plan of domes and cupolas and also great attention has been paid to the proportionality of size of domes to surface area of buildings.
Gradual evolution of decorations is remarkable in the middle of the 16th AD and 10th AH. In architectural art of the first half of the 16th AD/10th AH, Timurid traditions have been continued. For the decoration of monuments, inlay and brick tiles with different patterns and suitable blue, white, and indigo colors, which are considered the basis of decoration in this period, have been used in extensive fields. Enameled clays with golden patterns also have a special ranking for the decoration of monuments in this period.
In the second half of the 16th AD/10th AH, decoration in luxurious buildings has been changed and relatively cheap and simple decoration materials such as white plaster and colors have been used; however, there is no decline in architectural art and artists have created significant masterpieces using the cheapest materials and tools.
Great and comprehensive architectural collections, including Kalan Mosque and Mir Arab School, suggest a non-breakable bond between religion and science. Also, in the crossroads of some streets, they have constructed four-sided buildings as well as arches and caravanserais along the street. A combination of such monuments has given a special look to squares, crossroads, and streets, all of which demonstrate urbanism art of the period.
In the 17th AD/11th AH, the huge amount of constructions, which represents architectural features of Bukhara in the 16th AD/10th AH, has been reduced; but, great collections still exist. Architecture in this period has been influenced by high-ranking Uzbek tribes who had a large amount of money available for construction, by which they intended to gain some fame and record names in history. Rigestan Square across from Ulugh Beg School can be mentioned as a mirror image of this school in Samarkand. View of Shirdar School is exactly the same as that of Ulugh Beg School, which is architecturally similar to buildings in Timuid dynasty; but, numerous innovations can be found in the details of building design and its decorations. Glided Mosque-School in Rigestan, Samarkand, is a building which is a mosque and a school at the same time. On three sides of the yard, there are chambers and the mosque is located on the fourth side. Great Pool Architectural Collection, which is known as "Labe Hoz", is another building that includes a pool, a school, and a small monastery. Ulugh Beg and Abdulaziz Khan Schools in city of Bukhara, which are located across from each other, are also remarkable examples of this era. It is worth mentioning that constructing the two monuments across from each other has been one of the new ways invented by the architecture of that era.
In general, architecture of the 17th AD/11th AH in Central Asia has undergone a decline with greater attention paid to decorations, which can be found from the extensive use of inlay and tiling arts. Architects of the 17th AD/11th AH have continued the decoration style of the two previous centuries and partly had some accomplishments in this field, especially in plastering which is distinguished from other works owing to its complexities and delicacies.
Condition of the next period in Central Asia could not significantly help the growth of architecture and art. The first half of the 18th AD/12th AH has witnessed economic recession, intensified civil war conditions, destruction of cities and villages, civil uprisings, reappearance of attacks and invasions, and attacks from bedouin and strangers. It is natural that no important architectural and artful monument or work has been left from such a dark and turbulent period.
Volume 8, Issue 4 (3-2019)
Abstract
Aims Sacred architecture is a reflector of divine beauties, and it is an illustrative example of the combination and association of symbolic forms with our deep beliefs and this connection can be expressed in the deepest mysterious layers of the altar. The altar is the most important part of the religious building. In the history of architectural decorations in Islamic art, altar has always embedded the best and most valuable examples in terms of style and in terms of motifs as well as calligraphy values. The Aljaito altar, in terms of the art of Stucco used in it, is in the rank of the most beautiful works of the Ilkhani era. In this research, the study of the herbal designs of the altar, the characteristics, and generalities of the motifs and the patterns governing them are the aim of the research.
Instruments & Methods Through library and field studies, we have identified the decoration of the altar of the Jameh Mosque of Isfahan. The research method is descriptive-analytical and uses architectural software.
Findings & Conclusion The following results were obtained by examining the designs and decorations of Aljaito altar: 81 patterns of herbal design were extracted from the altar designs, with a range of 28% horizontal rectangle, 22% circle, 21% pentagon, 15% vertical rectangular, 7% star, 6% square, and 1% Shamseh; the majority of it included horizontal rectangle. Also, the dominant line in Aljaito altar designs adhered to 100% of the curve pattern, and 85% were completely non-symmetrical and 15% was vertical to the axis in the herbal designs.
Volume 9, Issue 3 (12-2019)
Abstract
Islamic art patterns have both visual beauty and symbolic values. Islamic art with its sublime wisdom in its symbolization has lots of possibilities that the most important tool of it, is geometry, but between the Islamic decorative motifs, the animal patterns are less visible. It seems the little presence of this figure in among of Islamic decorative motifs shows symbolism trend that points to special concept. In Roshan Abad building, figures like fish and bird attract attention and it seems are designed based on special concepts. Thus, in the present study, it is tried to study the symbolism of decorative motifs based on Islamic wisdom.
This study is descriptive-historical research and qualitatively analyzes the research information, direct observations, as well as library research are also used for data gathering.
According to the results of the present study, it seems reflection of Shia and mystical ideas as symbols that insinuate to concepts like pontificate and guidance, is the most voucher in decorations of Roshan Abad building.
Volume 13, Issue 1 (3-2022)
Abstract
Of the effective ways to have successful interactions, the proper use of words could be mentioned. The vocabulary items chosen by the speaker can act as conversation starters. Consciously chosen vocabulary items that are attractive and functional enough could make a profound impact on the audience. The success of the speaker's utterance is effectively ensured by a web of vocabulary items that may have been carefully picked up in accordance with the theme of the discussion and the audience's taste. The present study, therefore, sets forth the concept of "language decoration" as an interdisciplinary approach in establishing effective communications. Language decoration means ornamenting the content and form of the utterance so as to affect the audience significantly. In fact, language decoration can reveal individuals' identity and personality and is firmly rooted within their linguistic competence. In view of the importance of thinking, emotion, sense, and culture in conversations and considering the fact that "postlocution" moves beyond communicative competence, the current study endeavors to put forward literary ornaments, psychological ornaments, cultural ornaments, sensory ornaments at the forefront of language decoration. Moreover, it advances this view that through cogbination (cognition+combination), emobination (emotion+combination), culbination (culture+combination), and sensbination (sense+combination), people could decorate their utterances and consequently, improve their communicative performance.
1. Introduction
Language is a tool for effective communication between members of a community in which the ways it is used matter much. That implies that people use language to express their opinions, thoughts, and feelings. Indeed, they describe their relationship through language. From this point of view, language serves as a tool for giving people an identity, and how language is used in conversations is of significance for achieving goals and intentions.
This should be noted that in addition to exchanging information in conversations, attention should also be paid to the audience's understanding and selection of appropriate elements for a talk, and merely transferring information to the audience without considering the effect of lexical items on them may lead to poor communication. Broadly speaking, listeners tend to follow a conversation that is interesting, valuable, and useful and is presented with a simple and understandable language. Therefore, the type of lexical items used by a speaker and the extent of his efforts to attract the audience's attention are essential factors in any conversation. It is undeniable that for delivering an effective speech, people should plan and organize their content and gain the necessary experience and skills to convey it to others. If an individual wishes to have an effective conversation, he must know how to embellish his words to yield a positive effect on the audience and their emotions. Given that each individual has a degree of feelings and the emotional load of words varies from person to person, how to use lexical items in conversation is of paramount importance. Therefore, we can improve the quality of our daily interactions and communication through embellishing the speech and applying its principles. Accordingly, language, like environmental objects, can be decorated and presented to the audience in a more beautiful way. Therefore, paying attention to such elements as emotions, senses, and culture matters in communicating with others.
In view of the importance of this issue, the authors of the present inquiry attempt to explore an approach that goes beyond communicative competence. This novel approach not only transmits the message but also takes into account the audience's emotional and cognitive aspects in any communication. Therefore, after examining the concepts related to communicative competence, the theoretical framework is introduced, and based on that, the concept of language decoration is proposed, and relevant solutions are presented.
2. Literature Review
The main function of language is "communication", which is the reason why language theories such as "communicative competence" proposed by Hymes (1972) have well-addressed this issue. For Hymes (1972), communicative competence refers to the knowledge that a person can rely on to have effective and efficient communication with others and to determine whether a sentence is appropriate in certain situations or not. Canale and Swain (1980) considered communicative competence to consist of four dimensions, which should be taken into consideration for building a successful relationship with others.
A. Grammatical competence: knowing the lexical capacity and grammar (mastering words and grammar) and determining grammatically-correct sentences.
B. Discourse competence: knowing how to relate sentences to each other in terms of form and meaning (coherence) and achieving verbal cohesion.
C. Sociolinguistic competence: obtaining necessary information on how to choose words based on the audience type and socio-cultural context.
D. Strategic competence: using linguistic and non-linguistic strategies necessary to start, end, continue, repair and change the direction of communication.
Pishghadam et al. (2019) are of the view that in addition to the above-mentioned types of competence, another dimension called emo-sensory competence is also important for establishing effective communication. This is because people should pay attention to the audience emotionally to communicate more effectively. Accordingly, the smaller the emotional distance between the speaker and the audience, the more common understanding of the subject is formed, and consequently, the greater the rate of learning and understanding. Given that the theory of communicative competence only focuses on communicating and achieving personal desires and goals in conversation, Pishghadam and Ebrahimi (2020) introduced "linguo-therapeutic competence" (language for a better life) to complement the above-mentioned types of competence on effective communication. In this type of competence, language is seen as a tool for behavioral change, growth and a tool for improving another person's well-being. It is clear that if the speaker creates a balance between these language roles in their communication, pays more attention to the mentioned types of competence, and be more aware of them, they can build a more successful relationship with the audience. Besides this competence, speakers should also pay attention to speech acts in an effective conversation. Austin (1975) introduced the speech act theory and believes that the speaker does the actions through uttering sentences. Each sentence consists of the locutionary act (i.e., the literal meaning), the illocutionary act (i.e., the speaker's intention for communication), and the perlocutionary act (i.e., the effect of a sentence on the audience). These acts make people pursue a specific goal through uttering a sentence even though this goal may or may not be achieved.
Pishghadam and Ebrahimi (2020) also introduced the concept of "postlocution" and maintained that utterances may have a long-term effect on the audience. At times, utterances can have a long-term effect on people; therefore, individuals should consider the "postlocution" of their words in a successful conversation. This should be noted that in communicative competence, the speaker tends to achieve his own personal goals and intentions through language. Therefore, any use of language is self-oriented. The concept of "postlocution" is, however, other-oriented language wherein the individual pays attention to not only themselves but also others, and in fact, they attempt to make others feel good. Therefore, they are of the view although achieving the goal is important for effective and successful communication, boosting the audience's mood also matters.
3. Methodology
In the present study, the concept of language decoration is proposed as an interdisciplinary approach in building effective communications. Language decoration means embellishing lexical items in terms of content and meaning to have a greater impact on the audience during the conversation. As a matter of fact, language decoration manifests the identity and personality of people with a high level of verbal intelligence, and by highlighting the main functions of language, it makes speech more attractive. Given the importance of emotions, feelings, and culture in effective communications and considering the concept of "postlocution", which goes beyond communicative competence, the authors of the present work have proposed literary, psychological, cultural, and sensory decoration strategies. They are of the view that individuals can decorate their talk and speech through such techniques as cogbination (cognition+combination), emobination (emotion+combination), culbination (culture+combination), and sensbination (sense+combination), and consequently, improve the quality of their daily interactions and communications.
4. Results
Given the fact that the most important part of any communication is how to convey information, learning the main principles and skills of effective communication is of importance in building a strong relationship. Therefore, the art of having effective communication is a key factor in measuring individuals' success. That is why the ability to speak well and decorate the talk play important roles in making conversations more interesting and creating effective relationships. Given that such components as attitudes, cultures, emotions, and senses affect the quality of communication, they can also serve as linguistic ornaments.
Language decoration skills can be learned, and individuals can enhance these skills by learning related techniques. Employing interdisciplinary knowledge and putting together areas of sociology, psychology, linguistics, anthropology, etc., can help individuals communicate effectively through language decoration. In the present study, language decoration included literary, psychological, cultural, and sensory ornaments. It should be noted that for individuals to be successful in language decoration, they should use cogbination (using thoughtful quotes by famous people like Saadi and Descartes), emobination (using stimulating words), culbination (paying attention to traditional and modern cultural expressions), and sensbination (engaging audience visually and auditorily, etc.).
Overall, this can be concluded that for having effective communication, all people, regardless of their profession, need to know the techniques of giving a good speech mastering the art of language decoration. Mastery over language decoration techniques and oratory skills can help people communicate more effectively with their audience and successfully persuade and influence them.
In other words, if people harness and use techniques of language decoration, the audience will be more receptive to their talk and will listen with more interest. Therefore, the speaker is successful in any communication, and their message—which is accompanied by attractiveness and proper applications—is easily conveyed to the audience without evoking any negative emotions in them, which is the overall goal of language decoration.
Maryam Mohammadi, Javad Neyestani,
Volume 22, Issue 2 (4-2015)
Abstract
With the formation of local and national governments during the 3rd-5th centuries A.H. [9th - 11th A.D.], the circumstances were prepared for adaption and recreating cultural and artistic traditions of Sassanid period. In this regard, Samanid governors played a key role. Amir Ismail Samanid came up with a style which became a pattern for numerous mausoleums and on the other hand connected the architectural elements and designs of Sassanids with the Islamic era. The Mausoleum of Amir Ismail Samanid itself shows how the Sassanid architectural elements appear in a new format. Both the design and construction of this building appears to have been carried out objectively, and Amir Samanid had somehow intended to follow the Sassanid dynasty. Studying the architectural elements and features of the Ismail Samanids Mausoleum as well as adaptions from the Sassanid architecture, and also its historical and cultural contexts (the revival of Iranian identity and returning to the traditions of Sassanian, during the 3rd – 5th centuries A.H.) are the main objectives of the present paper.