Tombstones, a Case of Unity of Different Islamic Religions in Iran: Typology, Classification, and Study of Figures on Cradle Tombstones

Considering the significance of death and resurrection in Islamic ideology, the issue of burial and how it is viewed by Islam is of great importance. There are various views on the way graves should be built and the signs related to them. However, the present paper explores how such differences set out and appeared in Iran. The authors take the view that in the graves identified over various Islamic periods in Iran there are pieces of evidence confirming close similarities between different Islamic religions about building mausoleums. The vast coverage of the field and the existing engravings, figures, and images carved on the studied tombstones point to political and religious unity of the people who lived under the auspices of Islam. Subtle variety of images and differences of form might be due to regional conditions and religious indulgence.