Comparative Study of Wall Paintings (Hunt, Banquet and Polo) in Ganjalikhan Caravanserai in Kerman and Pirnia House in Naein

Investigating and identifying the historical evolution of Islamic monuments indicate the continuity of traditions, in a way that Iranian-Islamic architecture has used traditions and patterns of the previous eras and evolved in each era compatible with changes and needs. This research studies mural decorations in two buildings of the Safavid era, Pirnia House in Naein and Ganjalikhan Caravanserai in Kerman. As these murals are considering as the finest examples of Safavid decorations and since the time of their built was close, these questions arise: what are the similarities and differences between their decorative elements? And whether there is a common feature in the contents of these two buildings? Few numbers of studies have been conducted in this subject, especially about GanjaliKhan building, and also deterioration of these wall paintings, show the necessity of a large-scale comparative study. The purpose of this research is to review and analyze these motifs based on their descriptions and comparisons. In addition to describing the visual aspects of decorations and the principles of aesthetics, this report tries to elaborate the overall structure, descriptions and details of these wall paintings and present them in analytical and comparative tables to show their similarities and differences and provide a basis for future studies. In this study, the comparative-analytical research method is used to evaluate and study these three themes of murals and collecting the information is done by field and library research method. The results show similar structure and composition of murals in both buildings and support this hypothesis that a common pattern has been used in these decorations that reminds the painting traditions of that era. Also, by considering the similar approach in designing both buildings, it seems that there is a common pattern in designing and implementing the motifs of two buildings.