Phenomenological analysis of symbolism and aesthetic aspects of architectural art of Qashqai nomads

Symbolism and aesthetics of people are reflected in their arts and are readable by exploration. Other researchers of nomad’s black tent architecture focused on technique, detail, structural or climatic properties, and their lifestyle. They admired the beauty of tent architecture, but have not investigated its aesthetic characteristics. In this research, Qashqai black tent is considered as a manifestation of vernacular architecture and its aesthetic symbols and massages are discovered by phenomenological exploration. The research aims at identifying the meaning of Qashqai black tent architecture. Aesthetic and symbolism as the highest level of meaning of nomad architecture have not been studied before. Data was collected through observation of one group of nomad’s summer black tents and interviewing with women and was analyzed by phenomenological hermeneutics. The theoretical framework was developed based on the cultural theory of Rapaport and phenomenological theory of Bashlar. Based on this theoretical structure, the components of the cradle, borders, inside/outside, big/small, ideal, nest, shapes, and colors are analyzed in three layers of imagination, dream, and fiction. The research question is how do the aesthetic and symbolic features shape Qashqai nomad’s black tent? The results confirm the effects of symbols of unlimited dreaming, the boundlessness of the realm of residence, the elements of nature, the sanctity of the stove, shelter, perfectionism, the human appearance of the black tent, love of home, a miniature of an ideal mansion, intimacy and relative boundaries. It is concluded that the whole set of black tents with surrounding activities form a home, and it can be defined as the formation of spaces in a spiral structure around the nomad woman. Therefore, beside other factors of shelter and lifestyle, the perceptual concept of shelter, meaning, and symbols play a fundamental role in creation of the vernacular architecture of the black tent