The Semiotic Study of Phenomenon of Ring in Naqsh-e-Jahan Square of Isfahan

In this paper, the phenomenon of ring symbol and sign of culture in Isfahan’s Naqsh-e-Jahan Square has undergone a semiotic study. Just as the Islamic texts read, the ring has spiritual and material functions and it has been welcomed by people in all ages and they used it in proportion to their culture and beliefs. Since symbols and signs possess a paralleled status in maintaining and promulgating culture, the ring culturally has marked priority and valuation, if attended. The author says the ring has a cultural concept and he has examined explicit and implicit denotations as well as its mythological aspect by using different skills including interview, observation, participation and survey of documents and overt-covert functions. This paper shows that how a usual object denotes values and beliefs. The author moves through the meaning levels of the ring based on tradition of semiotics and has looked for the sense of phenomenon in people’s deep minds and has described the meanings. The public function of the ring is decorative, but it contains the hidden economic and communicative functions. The explicit sense of the ring is “ornamentation”, “engagement ring” and “seal/inlay”, but its implied and deep sense is “social identity”.