جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه "kingship" در نشریات گروه "هنر و معماری"

After rising to power, Ardašir I made a coherent plan to legitimize his kingdom. Similar to kings of ancient times who created a new dynasty, Ardašir I faced a critical problem, which was how to legitimize his exclusive power as the newly established king. Creating various rock reliefs in different regions was one of the most significant things Ardašir I did in order to legitimize his monarchy. These rock reliefs can be classified into two major genres: first, encountering AhurāMazdā and receiving a symbolic ring, and second, victory in the battle against the enemy. These two themes also became the most significant themes in rock reliefs during the ruling of other Sassanian kings. The ring of kingship is one of the most prominent visual elements in these rock reliefs, whose roots could trace back to Ancient Mesopotamia. As can be observed in the visual traditions of Ancient Mesopotamia, receiving a ring of kingship was a symbol of divine validation of the kingship of the person who received it. Contrary to the Achaemenids, in the pictorial traditions of this ancient culture, the ring was always at the right hand of god. During the Achaemenids, however, the “ring” was in the left hand of god. Once again, in the Sassanids era, the ring was in the right hand of god, perhaps due to religious and cultural reasons. Gods illustrated in the Mesopotamian tradition often did not show a gesture of respect. In other words, they would not raise their hands as a sign of respect like the king did due to their supposedly higher status than the king. This is noteworthy, as raising the right hand in Achaemenid illustrations meant god had to hold the ring in his left hand, as opposed to Mesopotamian motifs, where it was in his right hand. This could indicate the higher status of the king in Achaemenid rock reliefs than the Ancient Mesopotamian kings. In Achaemenid rock reliefs, the ring-holding god does not have a rod in his other hand. Further, the left hand of the king, unlike Mesopotamian kings, is neither extended to the god nor on his side. The Achaemenid king holds a bow in his left hand, which could indicate his superiority to previous Mesopotamian kings. By emphasizing the status of the king, the Achaemenids were able to not only demonstrate the divine providence but also the superiority of the king to past Mesopotamian kings. By studying the relationship between the king and god and by taking over Mesopotamian motifs, they were able to illustrate a new relationship that not only guaranteed the ascension of the king but also allowed the ever presence of the superior god at the top of all the rock reliefs. According to the aforementioned, it can be concluded that receiving the ring of kingship from the supreme god and the deification of the king which were seen separately in the pictorial traditions of Ancient Mesopotamia were consciously synthesized in the rock reliefs of Ardašir I and employed to legitimize his kingship.

It is known that more than any cultural product, a work of art can represent how the world around us is organized and conceptualized by the human mind. Therefore, if we can read the artistic texts on the basis of a systematic way, we can better appreciate the ideas of the period in which the work of art has been created. Carpets are known as one of such texts; among these cultural products, Niche or Mihrabi rug is of particular importance. Niche or Mihrabi rug can be regarded as one of the handicrafts that has a religious aspect as well as beauty. As one of the characteristics of these rugs, we can refer to the use of the Quranic verses in them, motifs such as lotus, mica and khatai inside the altar; also, we can see these rugs have a regular and accurate geometric structure. The vast majority of the Niche rugs  made during the Safavid period begin with Amin Al-Rasool or the verse of Al-Kursi. However, in between there are a number of rugs that begin with the name of Solomon, part of the verse 30 of Surah An-Naml. Then part of verses 83 and 84 of Surah al-An'am is placed; also, the use is made of the verse of Noor in the third margin, in addition to the cypress tree and the lotus flower inside the altar. Since this accompaniment can be found in a large number of rugs, it seems, therefore, that these texts have been created   with a special order and purpose, giving the carpet a multi-faceted and multi-layered personality. Now the question arising is why this text has replaced other texts in certain periods of history? How can this replacement be explained? To find the answer, it is necessary to explore the meaning of these texts. This transition from the apparent representation of the rug to the exploration of the meaning underlying it is a process that can be studied according to an iconological way. After studying the rug in a descriptive-analytical method and collecting the necessary information according to the documents available in the libraries and the Internet sites, using the iconological method, a network of meanings is created; then, an interconnected chain of meanings in relation to the whole work could be developed.  Therefore, we can reveal the expression of the ritualistic-mythical thoughts with an Islamic meaning in these texts. Then, on the basis of the interconnected chain of meanings, it is possible to achieve the important thing that the designer-artist has created a work that could express the journey and behavior of the mystic. Therefore, the conclusions that can be drawn is that the presence of Solomon’s name on the margin and next to a part of Surah al-An'am and mythological themes and the form of the Mihrab, in addition to expressing the behavior and ultimately ascension, can imply the concept of kingship in its Iranian-Islamic meaning, thus legitimizing the rule of the Safavid kings.