Impact of Islamic Mysticism on Iranian Architecture with an Emphasis on Soltaniyeh Dome Decorations

In the realm of mysticism, art is a kind of spiritual journey in which the artist, heavenly and spiritually inspired, achieves intuition. In fact, the Islamic art and architecture is the manifestation of the almighty revelation on the earth, the delicacy and subtleness of which will take the mystics to the apocalypse and intuition. Traditional historic buildings in the Islamic architecture are emblems of the heaven and manifestation of the divinely tradition in which the skills and delicacies used come in close relation with the spiritual and metaphysical principles. Meticulous attention to the decorations and drawings, as well as the selection of the statements and concepts used in the inscriptions on the Islamic buildings, can make one witness the direct and indirect impact of Islamic mysticism and Sufism over the designs. The abundance of the Koranic verses in the inscriptions and mosques decorations and shrines and Imam Descendents shrines and domes, including Soltaniyeh Dome where every inch is sainted and virtue stricken, could be related to the topic of "citation" and "beads" that are among the major issues of Islamic Sufism and mysticism. In addition, the image or design of a "star" as a symbol of illumination and beauty, the center of which is the word "Allah" and sided by the words Mohammad and Ali demonstrate the spiritual leadership of God and divine leaders within the internal and external direction of Tariqa disciples, which are abundantly seen in the designs and images of the domes decorations, especially Soltaniyeh. The unity between Shariah, Tariqa, and reality is one of the major issues of mysticism that are easily seen in some parts of inscriptions and designs of Islamic buildings, including Soltaniyeh, "Allah, Mohammad, Ali" adjacent. Within the decoration, the word "Allah" signifies reality, the word "Mohammad" signifies Shariah, and the word "Ali" signifies Tariqa. In addition, the sole use of the grand name of "Allah" exclusively used in inscriptions and decoration of Islamic buildings represents the principle of "monotheism" and mystical monotheism in Islamic Sufism.