A Survey on the Decorative Motifs of Lashkari Bazaar and Masud III Palaces

Ghaznavid dynasty came to the throne in 10th century A.D and soon gained control over a vast territory including India, Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia. Ghaznavid sultans acquired enormous wealth by means of frequent raids into India. With the financial benefit gained, they started to build glorious buildings and palaces in order to display their might. A reason for the reputation of Ghaznavid palaces lies beneath their splendid and uncommon decorative motifs. The influences from nearby cultures such as Turkish, Persian and Indian, all unified in an Islamic context, made these motifs very rich in concept. Also the techniques used for making the decorations are rare and sometimes innovative in the arts of the early Islamic Iran. Thus, the study of the decorative arts employed in Ghaznavid palaces could be crucial for obtaining a better understanding of the art in the first centuries of Islamic period in the Persian World.In this article by analyzing the motifs employed in two Ghaznavid palaces, and by comparing them to the motifs of the nearby cultures, we seek to draw a better picture of the style and origins of Ghaznavid motifs and decorative arts. We suggest that the Ghaznavid artistic style has its roots in the art of pre-Islamic Iran and India as well as its own Turkish origins.