Geometry and Geometric Proportions in the Constration of the Domes of the Safavid Mosques in Isfahan (A Case study: Imam Mosque and Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque)

Muslims believed that geometry was as important as mathematics, astronomy, and music. Iranian architecture focused on beauty, alongside which the science of geometry functioned as a powerful tool enabling Iranian architects to measure spatial proportions and create balance and beauty on the ground. Domes, the making of which had started during the Parthian Era, became vastly prevalent upon the rise of Islam in order to cover Islamic buildings, particularly mosques, and, thus, turned into the symbol of Islamic architecture. A dome looks like a container and is constructed based on objective principles of mathematics and statics. The Safavid era represent one of the creative and dynamic periods of architecture, particularly, dome construction, and several beautiful works of this era are still standing today. In this paper, the writer has tried to examine the role of geometry and geometric proportions in the architecture of the Safavid period with an emphasis on the domes of the well-known mosques of that time in Isfahan. The related study was conducted following the analytic-descriptive method while resorting to available documents and performing field studies. The findings demonstrate that the Safavids paid particular attention to proportion in architecture and changed the quadrangular design of the space under the dome into the circular design of a dome. During this period, geometry became simpler and disconnected hollow domes became more common.