فهرست مطالب عطاالله کوپال

As one of the most challenging and debatable issues, unveiling the mystery of the realisation of the full potentials of human being has been addressed and examined since long ago throughout the history of ideas. In the meantime various thinkers and experts have elaborated on the concept of the universal human from their own vantage points. Considering the unique approaches of the mystics, the reflection upon the issue in mystical literature is meticulously adressed .What seems crucial in the present research is the full recognition and appreciation of Attar and Jaami concerning man which ultimately leads into the foundation and worldview of the aforementioned authors. Attar, and his follower Jaami have perceived human beyond his materiality and believe in man’s immortality and union with the divine through mortality in this world.

Employing an analytical-descriptive method Attar and Jaami’s poems are examined in terms of the representations of the universal human . This is a library research and the samples are opted from each poet’s Divan (collection of poems).

In Attar’s poetry the representatiom of the universal man is based upon the Mohammadieh Truth. Attar has a special attention to prophet Mohammed as a universal perfect man and has portrayed him in the highest esteem of spirtual and material status. Apart from Attar, Jaami as imitating Attar, has widely studied the works of his predessors such as Attar.He deems Attar as one of the high ranking poets in the realm of mysticism. Similar to Attar, Jaami has considered the perfect universal man as the manifestation of Allah’s attributes and features. Hence he deems man as the crown of creation. Following Attar, he has traced the footnotes of the universal man in his poetry collections.

The necessity of the realisation of man’s levels of perfection is evident in all divine as well as non-divine religions. Moreover , all thinkers intensely attempt at highlighting the significance of attention to the perfect man and his desire in order to attain perfection. Commenting on man’s perfection , Attar and Jaami compare the status of the mystic to the universal man. Both deem the universal perfect man as the one who is dissolved in Allah’s glory symbolically embodying Allah’s attributes and characteristics.

This research intends to analyze the relationship between the methods of representing social reality in documentary theater and its social impact by examining selected dramatic works of this genre. We look into two main things; first, how the methods and techniques of contemporary documentary theater, and specifically the works of Anna Deavere Smith, represent the issue of social justice, and second, how it is possible to suggest a standard criterion to evaluate and produce documentary works and dramas. To answer these, the documentary dramas written by Anna Deavere Smith will be examined as case examples. The analysis will be based on the theoretical approach of Alain Badiou, a contemporary theoretician in the field of philosophy, and ontology, and it is expected that based on the results of this research, the impact of the methods used in documentary theater, to represent the truth can be explained and analyzed. The approach of this research is descriptive, analytical, and interpretative, and the case examples are selected and analyzed, based on their importance and the methods used to represent social realities. By defining and describing documentary theater and its characteristics, this research reflects upon the possibilities of how this genre can represent social issues, using contemporary methods and technologies. In addition, the definition of standards and criteria are evaluated in documentary theater based on the successfulness to achieve the main goal, which is representing the truth. Anna Deavere Smith's works, taking into account the main task of documentary theater, that is the production of truth, has been able to produce truth in a stronger and more effective way based on Alain Badiou's views and his theory on the process of truth-procedure. To sum up, Anna Deavere Smith has successfully used verbatim technique in creating documentary dramatic works, and in providing dualities extracted from Badiou's theory and views. Another result that is observed in the analysis of Anna Deavere Smith's works is that with the passage of time, she has been able to be more successful in creating these dualities in her documentary plays. Therefore, through this study, it is suggested that Smith herself, has something similar to Badiou’s truth-procedure in mind, by using verbatim technique. The power of dualities of form has increased in her works, while the trend in content, has declined; reflective of her priority in writing. In general, Anna Deavere Smith has been more successful in creating a theatrical form of documentary. This research provides a “measurement criteria” to evaluate other documentary dramas, and a framework for making more successful documentary dramas in the future.

What makes a new ontology essential for today's theatre is the need for fundamental change in all aspects of this phenomenon. To respond to this need, side reforms do not help preserve theatre's status as a liberating art. This new ontology, addressed here as divergent theatre ontology, attempts to provide a new abstract intellectual framework for this issue before making any differences. To form such an ontology, mathematics can be used. In this method, mathematics can be used as an ideology framework. Considering that mathematical variables can be transferred from the field of symbology to the field of semantics, by turning into macro-theatre situations, each of the mathematical situations, allows the possibility to propose new hypotheses for theater by using mathematical theories.  This research aims to primarily present a specific form of an ontology of today's theatre as convergent theatre and to additionally express the new form using the mathematics of divergent theatre ontology and ultimately showing that any liberating aspect in theatre requires an infraction of the rules of convergent theatre and achieving some kind of divergence in theatre.

The current article aims to elucidate the similarities and differences between two worldviews presented in two works, Euripides' play Medea and Ferdowsi's epic Shānāmeh, by analyzing their discourse of power. This research employs an analytical-comparative method, and the necessary information was gathered through a library study and discourse analysis. The study's objective is to identify the distinguishing points of these two epistemes concerning the concept of power. The results of this comparative study can serve as examples of common epistemology in the cultural spaces of classical Greece and Iran and the dominant discourse in these two cultures. The theoretical basis for this discussion is derived from Michel Foucault's ideas and his concept of power discourse. The study reveals that while both works share similar components in their episteme, such as destiny, death, love, originality, and wisdom, their fundamental distinction lies in their approach to accepting or opposing the discourse of God's (or the gods) supreme power. In the story of Sohrab, Ferdowsi considers God's destiny as the cause of the story's ending, while Euripides portrays Medea as standing against the institutionalized tradition and even being willing to behead her children, take the gods with herself, and ride gloriously on the chariot of the gods while opposing the dominant discourse of power.

The present research aims to analyze the common traits and differences of knowledge system in these two works by comparative study of Euripides’ play Alceste and Froud’s story in Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh. Also, it seems that the findings of this research can be generalized to the analysis (induction) of the dominant discourse of power in the semantic structure governing the flourishing era of classical Greece as well as Iranian-Islamic culture of the 4th century Hijri. The theoretical framework of the topics presented will be taken from the thoughts of Michel Foucault, the late French philosopher, and his concepts such as episteme and discourse of power. The evaluation method of this research is also descriptive-analytical, and on this basis, the necessary data to measure the samples will be obtained in a library manner and with discourse analysis tools. The evidence obtained from this comparative study is indicative of the fact that despite the presence of similar components in the knowledge system of both works, in both the divine and human realms, the concepts of “destiny”, “death”, “love” and “wisdom” are fundamental points of difference. In explaining the discourse of power, they return to the type of their approach in accepting or rejecting the supreme power of God or Gods. In other words, despite the emphasis on the place of “destiny” and “death” in the heart of Forud’s story, the essence of Alceste’s play is the rejection of all that traditional discourse of power before it. In this work, a person will gain power who will be approved by the human discourse of power.

All authors have long sought to find attractive and lasting names for their works, and the discussion about the entitling of literary works has been as important as study on their structure and content, in the discussions of literary criticism. The main approach of the article is based on an interdisciplinary foundation, between literature and linguistics. The article aims to present a comprehensive classification of naming methods of literary works using the knowledge of linguistics and based on the construction rules of the Persian language. The claim of this article is that the writers of Iran and the world, have used very definite and limited methods in the construction of language to entitle their works, whether in Persian or in other languages, and many of these methods are similar. This article is written in a descriptive and analytical way, using the approach of analyzing the names of literary works, based on “construction” and “Persian grammar”. The author of this article has used syntactic and grammatical classification methods in the classification of names. The article tries to reach this conclusion, contrary to what is believed, entitling a literary work is the most difficult part of creating a work; The naming of works follows simple and repetitive patterns, familiarity with which can facilitate the naming of literary works for any contemporary writer.

Metaphor is a linguistic feature that is not only unique in the aesthetics of language, but in all life and thought, and abstract concepts can be taken from objective sources and visualized. The container of embodiment is the place where events and characters are formed in fiction. The author makes the places comprehensible in such a way that the audience can easily imagine all of them and see themselves present there. In the following research, the metaphor of place in two novels was examined, and its important point is that: in the novel I turn off the lights, the metaphorical place is the house, which means "Clarice" and is a combination of the house. Each of them represents a part of Clarice's existence. Just as the house wears out due to neglect and needs attention and maintenance, "Clarice" has also suffered from everyday life and depression due to the neglect of the people around it and needs to be restored and rejuvenated. In the novel Yacoubian Building, the building is a metaphor for the Egyptian society and its residents are a metaphor for the Egyptian people, and it deals with the issues of poverty, bribery, abuse of power, women and homosexuality.

Transformation in fictional narratives is referred to the essential changes of human or inhuman characters by a supernatural force. The present article is intended to examine this essential transformation of the characters of folk tales in the context of Claude Bremond's narrative theory. In classifying the role of the character in the narrative, Claude Bremond proposed the "Agent" and the "Patient" characters based on the extension of Levi-Strauss's "Binary Oppositions" theory of "Actant" characters. The agent has an active, effective, and dynamic role in the story, and on the other hand, the patient is passive and impressible. The present study seeks to answer the question: according to Bremond's theory, how the transformation in folk tales can lead to change in the function of the character and consequently, the status and role of the character in the story, from agent to patient and vice versa? This study, through referring to the library sources and by descriptive-analytical methods, in four specific folktales as the case studies, intends to conclude that transformation causes the main and sub characters, to create new actions or be affected by the new ones, after the transubstantiation. And as a result, they change from an agent to a patient or vice versa.

Handicrafts are artistic products that are made by hand or simple tools for decorative purposes or use in everyday life. Handicrafts can be considered as applied arts. On the one hand, they have creative artistic elements, and on the other hand, they are produced as a single product or a mass product for individual or social use. Handicrafts of Iran are an important part of the culture of our land and its products account for a significant share of the local economy in the traditional markets of Iran. The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the factors affecting the presence of Iranian handicrafts in the world exhibition. This research is a qualitative-statistical research of the type of applied studies. In this research, the desired information has been collected in the field, by survey method and also by conducting interviews with experienced participants in these exhibitions, and it has been analyzed by logical reasoning method and using spss software. The obtained results have indicated that by encouraging, helping and guiding artisans as well as raising the level of their specialized and professional information and considering the existing different cultural fields, by creating recognition in the world trade arena, it is possible to gain a prestigious position in International level achieved. Also, preserving and strengthening handicrafts and its manifestation as one of the main pillars of the cultural life of our country and creating solidarity among handicraftsmen in the whole country can be offered in today's and modern areas and can be a way forward for handicrafts producers.

The purpose of this article “Searching for identity from Sartre’s point of view in the play The Buried Child” is to gain a new understanding of the characters and their world with an analytical look at Sam Shepard’s play based on Sartre’s philosophy. Among Sam Shepard’s plays, The Buried Child deals more with the issue of searching for identity. The conflict of characters, conflict and disagreement between family members and its effects on the society with a focus on the contemporary American man in this play are quite evident. The characters portrayed by Shepard in his plays are almost all chosen from the same gender. And in various works, the amount of their psychological problems and conflicts and physical diseases has increased or decreased. But in the play The Buried Child, we see that the characters are exposed to the audience completely alone and without creating a real relationship with each other and the society, naked and far from each other. For this reason, this article first looks at Sam Shepard’s theater and deals with the relationship between his works and the philosophy of existentialism. In the following, he presents the dramatic narration and analysis of the said work. Then, by examining the issue of searching for identity in the work, the impact of Sartre’s thought on the process of forming actions and the progress of Shepard’s drama is discussed. The main question of the article is, what role does the search for identity play in the creation of the mentioned work? According to this issue, the hypothesis of the influence of character in the design of dramas and its key role in the performance of this work is determined. The result of this research shows the impact of Sartre’s thought that man is condemned to freedom, as well as the moral principles of his philosophy, such as self-alienation and living in wrong intentions, in the characterization of Sam Shepard’s play The Buried Child. Because the search for identity in Sartre’s original thought in Shepard’s works can be recovered in the form of parallelism and the combination of freedom and rebellion alongside each other. This article is written in a descriptive and analytical way, and the methods of collecting and classifying information are done using library studies.

imārat-e- yaqubiān (The Yacoubian Building) is one of the novels of ʽalā al-Aswani, a contemporary Egyptian writer, best known for its critical view of Egyptian society and government. He wrote the novel in 2002 after the name of a so called building. The protagonists of the novel are, in fact, the representatives of various groups of Egyptians people that al-Aswani explain their life events as a vehicle to explores the problems and difficulties of contemporary Egyptian society. This article is based on the theory of mimesis (mohākāt). According to this theory the evaluation of literary work depends on the degree of its power to reflect the surrounding realities and the degree of its honesty in showing what is reflected. Because the art is based on assimilation and impression, and the artist's function is to tell the truth accompanied with the imagination. In this research, the similarities and differences between the fictional character, Zaki al-Dusuqi and the real character, Zaki Rostam, is studied.  Its most important outcome is that Al-Aswani in creating Zaki al-Dusuqi, the fictional character, has been greatly impressed from the life of Zali Rostam, the famous Egyptian artist, of his personality, living place, family background, father's socio-political status, lifestyle and financial abilities can be mentioned.

‘Description’ as a dramatic element in the explanation of actions, events, objects, and special dramatic situations is an important technique in Greek tragedies. These plays base their plots, the hero's actions and speeches on description. Furthermore, description is the way in which the Greek playwrights announce to the audiences, the events of the background plot, pre story and in particular, the offstage events. One of the important kinds of characters who plays a significant role in Greek tragedies is the "anonymous character". Anonymous Character is usually a name for some kind of sub- character who is commonly named with general titles, not with a specific name, such as spade, educator, and nurse. In Greek tragedies, the weight of the drama is based on narrative. Greek playwrights create their plays on the basis of famous stories and adapt the characters into their plays. In this regard, it is notable that there are many characters who are not the main characters and they are so called sub characters. It is important to notice that these characters have a close relationship with the main characters, either the protagonist or the antagonist. The function of these sub-characters has a significant part of developing the plot and it is interesting to notice how they can inform the audience about anything that has occurred on and offstage. Usually, they have an insight into the events and about the pre-story of the drama and the background of the story. These anonymous characters serve to observe many facts about the plot of plays. Since the definition of ‘description’ is a statement that gives details about someone or something; descriptions of anonymous characters also include geographical and historical context of the play. In ancient Greece, playwrights wrote hundreds of plays. But only thirty -one plays have survived that we know of and interestingly most of them have anonymous characters. Their dialogues guide us to search about the settings of the plays and reveal the biography of main characters as well as reveal their aspirations. The purpose of this study is to explore the ways selected tragedies written by Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides  have moved the plot foreward by descriptive speech of "anonymous characters",. This study focuses on how and by which patterns the "anonymous characters" assist to create the dramatic narrative of tragedy based on Greek mythology. The present research uses a descriptive-analytical method and by classifying different types of descriptions in the anonymous characters’ dialogs. This study concludes that anonymous characters, although they have a sub - role in tragedies, have an important part in developing the dramatic narratives.  Their inclusion in the play includes a wide range of functions, such as encouraging the hero to action, or giving news of the death of main characters or revealing important secrets. These functions are classified in the conclusion section tables of the article. This study can be a useful guide for further studies and research on old and modern plays with a focus on anonymous characters and their functions.

The present article examines the methods of classifying the types of genitive cases in Persian grammar and the previous theories about naming the types of these cases and the methods of classifying them in grammar books or linguistic resources. Cognition is challenging. The importance of this research is in opening the discussion of the necessity of applicability classification. The most important theoretical discussion of this article is to challenge the incorrect comparisons of types of genitive cases in Persian with Arabic or European languages. The main questions of the article are what are the shortcomings in the classification of genitive cases in previous sources and how can rules be made that make it possible to identify types of genitive cases without exceptions (or with minimal exceptions). This article is the result of extensive research on the subject of genitive and possessive cases and by descriptive-analytical method and citing library sources (from the 11th century AH to the present), it is concluded that many classifications Late in the subject of these cases, they have no practical aspect and cannot be included in their similar additions. And the classification of genitive cases according to semantic relations, facilitates the possibility of achieving the meaning of the word in contemporary language as well as in literary speech, and helps to analyze and understand literary or non-literary speech, and therefore it can be accepted as an effective and useful classification in the types of genitive cases.

Sophocles’ Ajax is among the most significant plays in ancient Greek literature, and William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury is an important modern novel. This study considers these two works using Gérard Genette’s Focalization term in Narratology theory. Focalization is a feature of the point of view in narrative and is described by characters’ action, emotional reaction and speech. This study investigates the narratives of the main characters in both works based on Genett’s theory. The main point in comparing these two works is how focalization is formed in each text regarding the narrative of each character, emotional and cognitive conditions in which characters consider the event and what kind of action do they take based on that conditions. This paper uses qualitative research method and is based on library research and record keeping. It analyzes the written resources using content analysis and descriptive method, while exploring both texts comparatively and applicably. The results show that focalization is transferred from one character to another in both works and both can be compared based on the resemblance of the narrative’s direction.

Throughout the history of art, the study of metaphors has been among the most important discussions within various art forms, especially in literature. In the modern era, the analysis and application of metaphor is expanded over a wider spectrum of disciplines, including cognitive sciences, philosophy, and performing arts. There is a classic view in regards to metaphor, maintaining that the term is just a linguistic phenomenon and not a conceptual one. On the other hand, a new approach to the concept of metaphor, is the theory of “conceptual metaphors” proposed by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson. This second view, known as the cognitive view, recognizes the human body and the concepts regarding physical, tangible aspects of life as the origin of many metaphors. As we read in the introduction to their theory, Lakoff and Johnson believe in three main findings based on the cognitive science. The findings are as follows: the mind is innately embodied; thought is generally unconscious; and  abstract concepts are primarily metaphorical. In theatrical directing, “mise-en-scene” is one of the major elements of the play which contributes significantly to the creation of visual aesthetics on stage. Nowadays, mise-en-scene not only affects the positions of the actors and their motions, but also includes other major elements such as composition, picturization, and motion with all the other elements of performance such as decor, costumes, music, and lighting. The question presented in this study is how visual metaphors on stage are created through mise-en-scene. Since visual and physical forms are of great significance in theater, the approach employed by the present study towards mise-en-scene and its relationship with visual metaphors is based on the theory of conceptual metaphors. In order to analyze this proposition, this approach is applied to Bahram Beyzai’s play, Eighth Journey of Sindbad.  This work includes various metaphors in its text and performance thus serving as a good example for the use of metaphors and their significance in this study. In order to answer the presented question which regards the process of creating pictorial metaphors and metaphors that are indicated in the original text through mise-en-scene, first the generalized metaphors and specifically the main conceptual metaphors in Eighth Journey of Sindbad are marked: “life is a journey”, “time passing is motion”, “argument is war” and “orientational and spatialization metaphors”. Various scenes of the text representing these metaphors are shown and their mise-en-scenes are analyzed in a way that describes the process of shaping the intended metaphor as a visual metaphor based on the concept of the very scene through mise-en-scene. The aspects of metaphor in composition and picturization, motion and action are particularly analyzed. In addition to that, the role of audio-visual elements for devising metaphorical mise-en-scenes are examined—such as decor and scenic design and accessories, makeup and costume design, lighting, music and sound design. According to the results of this study, the visual metaphors are capable of being created through mise-en-scene, stage composition, and audio-visual elements of the play on the stage.

This article assumes that examples of the characters described by philosophers to explain their ideas can be found in the world of drama. Soren Kierkegaard, the Danish thinker, mystic and one of the most important Christian writers of modern times and originator of existential philosophies, is regarded as the father of religious thinking. Kierkegaard's main concern is the human realm, which is concerned with human life and how it evolves. He reminisces this state as ‘Existence’ meaning for this state to be the source of decisions, choices, actions, and self-awareness. Existence is a tangible being and Individual of a single person. Kierkegaard believes that Existence can be salvation just by faith, but faith is inward and a kind of passionate attachment that is not possible to open that area by the criteria of knowledge. Faith is trust, certainty, submission and silence before God. Kierkegaard identifies Abraham as the knight of faith and man as the model of the religious sphere. Kierkegaard introduces three main options or stages in order to give meaning to human life and calls them "spheres of life". The last sphere is the religious stage in which the individual lives neither for himself nor for society, but for God. A view derived from the idea of Christianity, in which the believer must go through everything in order to face God. Kierkegaard`s The Knight of Faith is someone who has been tested through all of these levels and degrees throughout his life. He is a human pattern who has found the way to the truth of life and its meaning and has reached the highest level of existence in the face of death thus signifying the release of the believer's soul. Henrik Ibsen is a renowned nineteenth-century Norwegian poet and playwright who is considered one of the most influential artists in the field of theater and has the title of "founder of modern theater”. He was the first to achieve all the goals of Realism and to create a new era in theater. Ibsen’s early works include poetic and romantic plays about the Scandinavian past. Brand is one of the most important plays of this period, a dramatic poem about uncompromising idealism whereby the protagonist sacrifices everything for himself. Ibsen, in this symbolic play, has created a character in the world of drama who has the same characteristics as Kierkegaard`s The Knight of Faith. In this script, Ibsen introduces a priest named Brand, who ultimately in an Abrahamic way achieves true happiness through belief in God and surrenders to Him, in spite of losing all his worldly wealth and even his spiritual possessions in the mortal world. So the main question of the article is how to find an example for Kierkegaard`s The Knight of Faith in the world of drama. In this research, the commonalities of Brand and Kierkegaard`s opus are examined in order to prove that Ibsen's ideal hero is the continuation of Kierkegaard`s philosophy and symbolic similarity of the two works.

The present study aims to investigate three plays of the Akbar Radi’s which are selected in the 1340s by considering Farabi’s utopian thought. This investigation attempts to consider the current dramatics remnants by considering Farabi’s utopian thought. Akbar Radi affected the pattern of plays in Iran for 4 decades through introducing interesting topics and language of plays. The present study investigates the data which is obtained by the library method based on the descriptive-analytical method. Moreover, it evaluates utopian thought of characters in Radi’s plays according to the view of Farabi’s utopia and by the use of Islamic-Iranian philosophy, it criticizes Akbar Radi’s plays. The purpose of this study is to peruse current dramatics remnants with utopian views which generally are referred to the theories of Plato, Tomas Mohr, and other western ideologists. Utopian view which is both common and fundamental element in world’s dramatics remnant. Akbar Radi is an idealist and ideologue author. He created several characters who try to find utopia, in order to emancipate from the status with the various methods. The result of this investigation clearly indicates that all the Akbar Radi’s plays in the 40s included different characters with assorted utopian thought. The most important pint of Radi’s dramatics plays in40s is that all of the utopian characters had been failing to find own utopia.

The three prominent Greek playwrights, Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides have paid attention to the myth of Electra and have dramatized it in their own ways. The main aim of this research is to provide a meaningful approach to comparative study of these tragedies, to reveal the process of creating antagonists. The important question in this essay is that, in recreating this mythological narrative, how and in which special pattern, each of these writers have created the mythological antagonists. This essay by explaining the “indirect characterization”, in a descriptive-analytical way, intends to examine the differences between the characterization patterns of these three tragedies according to the aspects of the antagonists. The essay present this hypothesis that, on the contrary to the most of Greek tragedies in which dramatic characters are introduced directly in prologue or by chores and or by description of secondary characters (just like as emissaries), at the beginning of the plays, in these three tragedies, characters are introduced indirectly to the audiences by their speeches and actions and especially by the adventures which forms in the pre-story of these plays. This article, based on comparative tables, by proving the hypothesis, and by answering to the main research questions, concludes that all three playwrights have created their own Antagonists, based on the individualization of the character, against the generalization of Electra’s myth.

One of the most popular arts in Zanjan is filigree which is a branch of the art of metalworking and is mainly made of high-grade silver metal. In filigree, silver bullions are made with a rolling machine in the shape of quadrilateral narrow wires with which small designs are made by putting them together and soldering them. The purpose of this essay is to introduce filigree and to identify the common designs and motifs in the filigree of Zanjan as well as the effectiveness level of the filigree patterns from pre-Islamic and Islamic eras, and the similarity of filigree patterns with Islamic-art motifs based on the geometric theory of fractals. The present article seeks to answer these questions: 1) What are the origins of some Zigzag filigree designs? 2) What types of motifs are common and used in Zanjan filigree and Islamic decorative art? 3) Are filigree designs compatible with Islamic art designs based on Fractal theory? The research method of this study is analytical-descriptive and the method of data collection is library research. The results indicate that the origins of some filigree patterns are from ancient Iranian patterns, some patterns are taken from the invaders to the eastern borders of Iran as well as the geometric vegetative and simplified (stylized) patterns of the Islamic period. These patterns with other filigree elements form a complete semantic system. The findings also showed that there is a balance in natural fractal patterns. Patterns of Islamic art and filigree, despite repetitions, irregularities, endlessness, incompatibility, etc., follow a particular order in general and they are balanced (unity despite plurality). Filigree designs have used the elements of Islamic decorative art and fractals from nature. In other words, all three are of natural origin. Zanjan filigree works are part of the fine Iranian metalwork art which production has undergone changes in recent years. The existing works in the art of filigree are largely different from the old filigrees. Despite their apparent differences, the researchers categorize these works into a single collection. Although metalwork art has been referred to in many Iranian art history books, less attention has been paid to filigree. On the other hand, many of them have been lost due to the possibility to melt the filigree works, and few are available in some museums or owned by collectors, which are not easy to access. One of the most important ways to realize the history of filigree works is to recognize the forms and motifs common to the filigree and find the origin of the motifs and their transformation over time. Iran has long hosted many civilizations from the past. The filigree works have been obtained from two periods of before and after Islam. These artifacts range from very basically decorated works to sophisticated ones. They have common features in the style of decoration and building method; features like the use of tap and dies of wires and delicate soldering as well as the use of abstract forms that are in fact the foundations of today’s filigree art. What was considered the goldsmithing work in the pre-Islamic era, slowly moved towards independence after the advent of Islam and during the reign of early Muslim rulers until it became of great importance in the Samanid era, that is a pinnacle of developments, and in the Seljuk era, that is the determinant of the policy of this art; then, during the Safavid era an art was finally formed, called filigree. Moreover, today’s filigree art had been invented in the Afsharid and Zand periods when some of the motifs invented in the late Safavid era came into being and later emerged in various forms in the Qajar period as well. Zanjan was established as the center and the largest production location of filigrees in the Qajar era. Now, the objectives of this study are: 1- Introducing filigree, recognizing motifs and common themes in Zanjan filigree 2- The rate of impact of Islamic decorative art motifs on filigree motifs. 3- The degree of similarity of filigree motifs to the Islamic art themes based on fractal geometric theory. The questions answered in this study are: 1- What are the origins of some of Zanjan filigree motifs? 2- What kinds of themes are common in Zanjan filigree and Islamic decorative art? 3- Are the filigree motifs comparable with Islamic art motifs based on fractal theory?