The dome as a symbol with emphasis on the dome of Sheikh Lotfollah mosque

As the covering of one of the most important spaces in Iranian mosques, the dome has an important place in the semantic system of the mosque. Researchers have assigned general meanings such as unity, sky, heaven or throne to the dome in Islamic architecture. Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, which is one of the historical mosques of Isfahan, is located on the eastern side of Naqsh Jahan square. It has a dome that is considered one of the most beautiful and magnificent domes in the world and displays a corner of the genius of Safavid architects. The Muslim artist has made formal dimensions a medium for a spiritual leap to the world of truth and meaning. Islamic architecture, especially mosques, is born from the artist's inner inspiration, which originates from the wisdom and spirituality governing human teachings and monotheistic perspective, which provides various forms and decorations to show the concept of unity. Considering that the dome is a traditional form and since many structural and decorative elements in traditional art, such as the dome, contain symbolic concepts and expressions, the question arises, what is the symbolic meaning of the dome? In this regard, this research tries to reveal its meaning by studying the dome and especially the dome of Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque with a symbolic approach and examining the concepts of motifs and components of the dome of this mosque. In this article, the subject has been analyzed by using the descriptive-analytical research method and using library tools. The results of this research show that among the meanings and connotations obtained for the dome, the following points can be mentioned: the sky, the divine throne, the house of God, unity, perfection, eternity, completeness, the course of man in the soul, movement. From the earth to the sky and from the body to the soul, unity in multiplicity and the beginning, etc., how these meanings are related to the dome is explained in this article.