Authors
Faculty of Art and Architecture, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran.
Abstract
The sacredness of plants and plant elements in all nations has led to the implicit and explicit implications of these elements in the arts and architecture of various nations. In ancient Iran, the impacts of these plant elements and plant motifs can be seen in the architectural ornamentation, which is also prevalent in other nations. Problem statement and research aim: The current study seeks to find the implicit concepts of plant motifs used in the pre-Islamic Iranian architecture and to understand the impacts of pre-Islamic architecture on the architecture of Umayyad and Abbasid periods. In this regard, the symbolic and mythological concepts of plants such as lotus flowers, acanthus, and various trees such as palm and vine, which are commonly used in pre-Islamic Iranian architecture and Islamic architecture, have been deeply scrutinized.
Research Method : This research aims at interpreting the perpetual influence of these plants on the common beliefs and the architecture of the two aforementioned periods and it tries to seek the reasons for conveyance of these motifs from pre-Islamic architecture to Islamic era. Therefore, using the interdisciplinary study methodology, this study aims at comparing the motifs of prominent pre-Islamic buildings of the Achaemenid period (Persepolis) and the Sassanid period (Ctesiphon palace, Taq-e Bostan and Bishapur Palace) with those of Umayyad period (such as Qobbat Al-Sakherah mosque, Al-Hayr palace, Al-Mshatta palace, and Kherbat Al-Mafjar palace), and Abbasid period (including the Belkoura palace and Seymareh Mosque). H After interpreting the buildings historically by referring to various texts, the common implications of plant motifs were revealed and their manifestations in the architecture of both historical periods are deeply analyzed and discussed.
The sacredness of plants among nations has led to the apparent and latent implications of these elements in the arts and architecture of various nations. In ancient Persia, the impacts of plant motifs can be seen in the architectural ornamentation, which is also prevalent in other nations.
Problem statement and research aim: The current study pursues to find the inherent concepts of plant motifs used in the pre-Islamic Iran architecture and to understand the impacts of pre-Islamic architecture on the architecture of Umayyad and Abbasid periods. In this regard, the symbolic and mythological concepts of plants such as lotus flowers, acanthus, and various trees such as palm and vine, which are commonly used in pre-Islamic Iranian architecture and Islamic architecture, have been deeply scrutinized.
Research Method: This research aims at interpreting the perpetual influence of these plants on the common beliefs and the architecture of the two aforementioned periods and it tries to seek the reasons for conveyance of these motifs from pre-Islamic architecture to Islamic era. Therefore, using the interdisciplinary study methodology, this study aims at comparing the motifs of prominent pre-Islamic buildings of the Achaemenid period (Persepolis) and the Sassanid period (Ctesiphon palace, Taq-e Bostan and Bishapur Palace) with those of Umayyad period (such as Qobbat Al-Sakherah mosque, Al-Hayr palace, Al-Mshatta palace, and Kherbat Al-Mafjar palace), and Abbasid period (including the Belkoura palace, Seymareh mosque and Noh Gonbad mosque). After interpreting the buildings historically by referring to various texts, the common implications of plant motifs were revealed and their manifestations in the architecture of both historical periods are deeply analyzed and discussed.
Conclusion: The results show that the existence of noble concepts such as purity, clarity and sacred force of life, knowledge and wisdom observed at plant motifs is the main reason for their use in architecture, which convey the same implications in the architecture of both periods. Moreover, it is deduced that the use of different motifs such as palmette (palm leaves), lotus leaves in Al-Hayr palace and Kherbat al-mafjar palace, the vine leaves and grape clusters in Qobbat Al-Sakhreh, as well as the triangular and circular forms in Al-Mshatta palace indicate the presence of Iranian art and architecture in the architecture of Umayyad and Abbasid periods. In addition, the geographical adjacency, believing in the same ideals, language, art and partnership in the creation and instructions of scientific schools are other reasons for the conveyance of motifs from Iranian architecture and culture to the Islamic architecture, especially Umayyad and Abbasid periods.
Keywords
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