امیرحسین صالحی

This research aims to investigate the reflection of social issues on patterns of living beings designed in religious buildings and tombs. To achieve this goal, the focus will be on the motifs of living beings in the Ali-Ibn-Jafar Shrine, located in Qom in the center of Iran. In addition, we will also study the wall paintings of Imamzade Tayyeb and Tahir Shrine. Although depicting living beings in religious buildings has not been permitted in Shiism, these patterns have been used in Shia Holly places, manifested in Zarinfam tiles (luster tiles). So, the main questions are as follows: (1) What were the primary sources of inspiration for depicting non-human living beings in these religious places? (2) What was the main goal of using such motifs of living beings in these religious buildings? After comparative research on motifs of non-human living beings and illustrated religious books, a significant number of similarities was found. These representations' form and subject matter correspond to cases depicted in the Ajaieb-Al-Makhloughat written by Qazvini in the 7th century (Table 1). From our point of view, such coordination and similarity cannot be accidental. It can explain why different animals, such as a boar, an elephant, a winged fish, and a dragon, are depicted in these religious buildings. The wall paintings of Imamzadeh Tayyeb and Tahir (Table 2) provide further confirmation of the use of the living creatures motifs. These wall paintings, which, unlike the tiles, have no possibility of being moved, are similar to the original and Qajar versions of Ajaieb-Al-Makhluqat. This comparative research brings us to the conclusion that Ajaieb Al-Makhluqat was at the center of attention in the decoration of Shia tombs in Qom for several centuries. After finding such a significant connection, our research focuses on this question: who was Qazvini, the author of this book? Our research has shown that he was a Shia scientist, educated in Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), a Sufi, and familiar with philosophy and mysticism. One of his methods of explaining complex scientific and religious matters in an understandable way to the public was using illustrations. In his writings, he points to two main attributes of God's righteousness and being the Creator. Most of his treatises have the color of preaching and guidance. Using the picture of living creatures in paintings of religious places seems to have a similar message. Using this type of expression of ideas could be a suitable and understandable way of showing to ordinary people that everything in this world represents the Creator, God. This view can also be rooted in the theory of the existential unity proposed by Ibn Arabi, who was Qazvini’s mentor. In addition, a few pieces of evidence of the founders of this building, completed in the post-Ilkhani period, show that the Al-Safi family in Qom generally had been affected by Qazvini's ideas. They were lovers of knowledge and Shiism, and familiar with mysticism.

The Holy Shrine of Razavi is one of the most important religious places in the world of Shia and a unique combination of architects and artisans from different periods of Iranian art. Islamic art has always been in conflict with the figural representation, especially in the realm of religious arts.This research aims to investigate the reason for the presence of figural representation in the tile decorations in the threshold of Razavi's holy shrine, especially the image of more than 450 painted animals on the portico of Allahverdi Khan dome in the Safavid era, despite the legal prohibitions found in jurisprudence books and viewpoints.

This paper has adopted a descriptive-analytical method. It  has been carried out through library study and field observations along with historical studies in a comparative way. The findings have been examined and analyzed. Statistical domain in this study includes all 486 figural motifs represented in the tiles of the Allahverdi Khan Dome portico, and the figures of five selected Manuscripts of Aja'ib al-Makhluqat and Ghara'ib al-Mawjudat, a book by Mohammad Zakaria Qazvini that was illustrated in the 9th, 10th, and 11th centuries AH. such as  Princeton university library Manuscript writen on 865 AD, Chester Beatty's Dublin Library Manuscript written on 952 AD, the Manuscript in Cambridge University Library writen on 974 A.H., the Library Manuscript of Manchester University written on 1040 A.H., and the Manuscript of Harvard University written on 1055 A.H.

The figural motifs representation on the portico tiles of Allahverdi Khan Dome was not similar to any animal decorations of other religious buildings in terms of the number and variety of motifs. The juxtaposition of mythological creatures such as dragons and Simorgh with birds such as peacocks, parrots, and pheasants, which cannot appearantly be compared with religious concepts, indicated the need for further investigation to discover the possible reasons of their occurrence.The studies carried out on the jurisprudential views and opinions of powerful and influential scholars of the Safavid era, such as Mohaghegh Karki and Sheikh Baha'i, indicated that they emphasized the abhorrence of decorating the place of pray (Allahverdi Khan Dome porch as a building adjacent to Hazrat Reza's tomb was the place to pray) with plant motifs, being another figural motif forbidden for representation. The significant difference in the number of animal images and motifs in the decoration of the portico, compared with other buildings of the holy shrine, indicated the lack of prevalence of such subjects in the decoration of religious buildings of the Safavid era. Due to the numerous visual and content commonalities, among these images and the illustrations of different versions of Aja'ib al-Makhluqat and Ghara'ib al-Mawjudat, it seemed that the selection and the use of these images and motifs were formed in a completely conscious manner. Zakariya Qazvini is a Shia historian and geographer who visited  Ibn Arabi and was influenced by his belief of unity of existence. The late Agha Bozorg Tehrani considered him Shia in his book, Al-Zariya.The book of Aja'ib al-Makhluqat and Ghara'ib al-Mawjudat  is known as an educational and encyclopedic text about creation and various creatures. The most important purpose of its writing could be the attention it could drew from the audience towards the essence of God. Another point is, Allahverdi Khan's devotion to Mulla Sadra, who himself was one of the philosophers believing in the unity of existence. The association of the previous topics with Christianity and iconographyic thought of Allahverdi Khan, as a new Muslim with Armenian background, along with the differences in the implications of the inscriptions written on the tiles of the portico of Allahverdi Khan's dome remind one of its functional similarity with the religious icons in the church. In comparison with other religious buildings and even the adjacent porticoes in The Holy Shrine, this building has a different content and is education-oriented.

Among all the religious buildings of the Safavid era, including mosques, imamzadehs, monasteries, and tombs, there are few buildings that can be compared with the Allahverdi Khan portico in terms of the amount of use of figural motifs. According to existing similarity and the religious position of Razavi Holy Shrine and buildings in the religious beliefs of the Shiaes in the Safavid era, it seems that architects and others involved in the construction and decoration of the Allahverdi Khan portico have made a conscious effort with the aim of the mitigation of the possible objections of religious men and ordinary people to the figural motifs represented on the building. To gain the satisfaction of Allahverdi Khan, as the founder and orderer of the portico, they used images from the characters and images in books such as Ajaib al-Makhluqat va Ghareeb Al-Mawatyat.

Safavid in Iran coincides with Ming and Qing (16, 17 and 18 ad centuries) in China. In this period hand woven carpets have a special place in the history of these two countries in terms of design and production. silk road that contact Iran to China, caused the transfer of carpet culture and trade along this road. Considering that antique Chinese carpets have been less studied by researchers, reciprocal influences in hand woven carpets design between Iran and China have been not considered. This research is an attempt to study the reciprocal influences of hand woven carpets in Iran and China with a comparative - historical method. Therefore, by collecting data as a document and whit using an analysis-description approach, comparing Iranian and Chinese hand woven carpets to determine their commonalities. in this research without considering the appear progress and evolution of motifs in history, this question arises as to what effects did historical relations between Iran and China have on the design of hand woven carpets? What are the common and influential motifs in Iranian and Chinese carpets? By studies on the samples it has been determined that historical relations on Iranian samples lead to the production of carpets with gold and silver string. Design with Iranian garden and balance were also used on the Chinese carpets. The influences that arrived in Iran from China were also woven with the taste of Iranians and traveled to China again. such as peony and woven with gold and silver string. Also, different motifs arising from historical relations were identified, which are divided into three main categories: 1. Common motifs of Iran and China. 2. Chinese influential motifs on Iranian. 3. Iranian influential motifs on China.

Academically distinct from other institutions, the National Organization for Development of Exceptional Talents (NODET) divides its students into 'Ordinary Elites' and 'Competing Elites,' thereby establishing an internal dich​otomy. This division establishes the foundation for a scholarly, self-motivated competition within the rigorous academic environment of NODET. However, a paradox emerges: despite the fact that every student is classified as gifted, their performance may vary, thereby obscuring the distinction between outstanding and average accomplishments. Compounded by familial expectations, this duality places moderately exceptional students under considerable stress. Unwittingly, the 'Ordinary Elites' shape NODET's ethos by perpetuating a culture of competition.The present investigation utilizes a rigorously planned ethnographic methodology, in which one investigator undertakes the responsibilities of both an instructor, mentor, and former student of NODET. This comprehensive experience offers an exceptional comprehension of the internal operations of the institution, revealing aspects that are hidden from outsiders. This approach sheds light on the challenges encountered by students who perform below expectations in the academic domain of NODET, thereby providing a holistic view of the educational ecosystem.The NODET educational framework fosters an intricate interaction that divides students into distinct tiers of achievement, inciting an internally motivated rivalry that challenges traditional standards. This diversity provokes complex discussions that delve into the fundamental nature of educational elitism. The varied impacts of NODET's competitive culture are graphically illustrated through the subjective experiences of students who traverse the spectrum of academic performance. By conducting this inquiry, the complex structure of NODET's scholarly environment is exposed, providing an intellectually stimulating examination of fostering outstanding abilities in the highly competitive realm of modern education.NODET’s unique environment results in the formation of a distinct subset known as the 'Ordinary Elites.' Although this collective is found in academic institutions across the globe, it manifests itself uniquely within NODET. This research illuminates the intricate nature of NODET's competitive culture, uncovering the significant ramifications it has on the identities of its students. The results emphasize the importance of developing a more nuanced comprehension of educational elitism and call for a reassessment of traditional approaches to nurturing exceptional abilities in the highly competitive educational environment of the twenty-first century.

Although Islamic artists were reluctant to represent living creatures in many decorative motifs, especially in the Islamic Medieval Ages, the script formed with human faces, animals, and mythical creatures remains a significant subject in the study of Islamic art and architecture. These scripts are mostly used in metalwork, but there are many examples in pottery decorations, especially in the early Islamic centuries and in Nishapur. So far, no research has been done on figural inscriptions, but researchers have addressed this field when working on other subjects such as talking tree, waq waq motifs, and some special objects. To our knowledge, Richard Ettinghausen’s classification and typologies of the figural inscriptions in the study of a container from the Cleveland Museum, known as the Wade Cup, are the strongest research in this field. The main issue in this article is the study of these inscriptions, regardless of whether they are considered as a kind of recreational scripts or a subset of waq motifs, and by looking at the formation, and thematic and temporal characteristics of the inscriptions one becomes more familiar with possible thoughts of patrons and artists. This study aims to accurately name this type of inscriptions based on the analysis of samples and their origin, themes, and various forms, which in turn helps to find out the reasons for using this type of script. Questions: What is the formal classification of figural inscriptions in non-architectural works at the time of study? What is the figural inscriptions’ meaning in art media such as pottery and metal, and is there a connection between the shape and the idea behind it? A descriptive-analytical approach has been used in this study. All the information was collected from library documents. The statistical population includes pottery and metal objects with figural inscriptions, from the early centuries to the seventh century AH in the Islamic world and the early European samples. Sample selection was done according to the 5 classifications presented in this article and also the introduction of new samples to help reach the research goals. Research results showed that figural inscriptions can be divided into five categories: 1- ornithomorphic, 2- human head, 3- zoomorphic, 4- a hybrid, and 5- animated inscriptions. Ornithomorphic and one of the zoomorphic inscriptions are among the early species, while animated inscriptions are evolved examples. In the study of themes, two main themes, including religious concepts and wishes and prayers related to good fortune, along with two sub-themes, including the signature and name of the artist and special poems were identified. As an interesting point, a correlation between the theme and the form was observed in several figural inscriptions, so that in the wishes and prayers related to inscriptions with the theme of astrology, the constellations with the concept of auspiciousness and astrology in the motifs were observed. Also, in the ornithomorphic inscriptions in Nishapur, a considerable number of vessels had the name "Ahmad" engraved in the center of the vessel. In our opinion, the name Ahmad was chosen as it is one of the Prophet Mohammad's names, and its combination with the bird-like design should be seen as a kind of correspondence between form and theme and the Prophet's ascension to the heavens. Both of these cases mentioned above, show a correlation between the form and theme and thoughts and ideas of the artists. In the Islamic field, due to the greater quantity, diversity, and the possible precedence of Nishapur specimens over the recently introduced specimens in Susa and Basra, Nishapur can be the origin of the use of such portrait inscriptions in the Islamic world. Based on the coins obtained in the Sabz Pushan area and the Tepe Madrasa, the production of these inscriptions in Nishapur dates back to the second half of the second century AH; to the time of the Samanids and most likely to the pre-Samanids.

Considering the impact of development plans on the policy makers and executives, the achievement of the Islamic revolution's aims depends largely on the compatibility of these plans with the economic discourse of the Islamic revolution and their implementation. Accordingly, this study focused on "identifying the rural progress elements within Islamic revolution discourse", "analyzing the sixth development plan's compatibility with these elements", and "suggesting some ideas for the seventh development plan draft". The method employed was content analysis applied to Imam Khomeini's and the supreme leader's speeches, as well as the constitution. After identifying the elements of Islamic revolution's discourse with regards to the rural progress, the sixth development plan was investigated. Also, using the official data and the economic indexes, the compatibility of this document with the economic discourse of the revolution was studied. It was found that the compatibility of the indexes is not much promising, considering the revolution's discourse in the sixth economic, socio-cultural development plan. Therefore, it was suggested that the seventh development plan should modify some of these pitfalls.

Ribat-i Sepanj, located on the northeast of Shahrud, is among the valuable historical monuments boasting magnificent brickwork ornamentation. It dates from the middle centuries of the hegira and is mentioned in most research sources as a construction of the Ilkhanid period. A closer look at the history of the monument and the comparison of its decorations with that of a number of other caravanserais and monuments of the middle centuries of Islam raises the idea that it dates back to the pre-Mongol era. However, it is not easy to date the monument because many parts of the original building are destroyed and only the entrance and the enclosure wall remain in their original form. Although the original plan is recognizable in the form of the central courtyard, the construction of rural houses in the courtyard greatly distorted the plan in later periods. This study aims to determine the time of the initial construction of the Ribat-i Sepanj, and to answer the main question: can the Ribat-i Sepanj be considered a construction of the pre-Mongol invasion according to the available evidence and historical-comparative studies? The method of conducting this study, due to the limitations of field research (especially excavation and tracking) focuses on three main items: first, studying the monument based on historical sources and previous research works; second, studying the ornamentation and comparing it with similar other samples from contemporary monuments; and third, conducting a comparative study of the available evidence remaining of the plan and entrance of the monument with those of the well-known examples of contemporary caravanserais (specifically from the Seljuq and Ilkhanid period). Finally, although most researchers consider Ribat-i Sepanj to be an Ilkhanid monument, the present study finds that the monument recognizably dates from the pre-Mongol invasion, and the closest historical period attribution is the late Seljuq era.

More than half a century after Wilkinson published his article on Nishapur excavations, despite the conducted research, there are still many ambiguities about the nature and origins of some of the motifs. Although some Sasanian roots, as well as influences from Samarra motifs, have been discovered during research, these studies have provided significant help in understanding some motifs that are distinctly different from other known motifs in the first six centuries of the Islamic era.

The present study seeks to present a new way of reading the motifs in the Eastern Islamic World.

This research attempts to present a new picture of the analysis of the motifs of Nishapur through a historical descriptive-analytical method.

The symbols and signs of Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism appear to have been one of the pillars of the Nishapur motifs. These symbols and signs have made their way into the Nishapur motifs through such means as the Hindu slaves and captives, trade relations and the Silk Road, wars and the relationship of Muslim rulers with Indian religions, as well as the coexistence of Islam and Indian religions.

Twenty-first century was launched once the computer revolution reached into its climax in IT, the combination of informational technologies with communication technologies, and the process of “smartization” entered into the level of mass consumption. This “somartization” was an opportunity to stay online continuously. The mass dilemma of being online without any specialization resolved. Many celebrate the “liberation” of humane, but the problem goes another way; whereas the internet was the icon of decentralization of power and hence liberating the individuals, it became an inner control means in practice; social media became a place for bombardment of the mass with news (both fake and real). Hence, it opiates the mass with the idea of security. People learn to seek their savior through internet, and their smartphone became a great member of their family, in fact the main member, without whom it was fear and trembling. After all, the consequence of being connected was the metamorphosis in the notion of the communication itself. Our struggle thorough this paper is to discover the cultural significance of this situation based on the evidence retrieved from field with an interpretative ethnography as our main approach amongst Tehrani middle class consumers of iPhone.