Study of the Pictures and Epigraphy of the Stucco Altar of the Second Mosque of Bayazid Bastami from the Ilkhanid Era

The Bayazid Bastami Tomb Complex in Bastam houses various artifacts from various historical periods. Previous research on this complex has focused on describing the mihrab, inscriptions, decorative motifs, and geometric relationships. This study examines the imagery and epigraphy of the mihrab in the men's mosque of Bayazid. The research questions addressed include: "What forms do the motifs in this mihrab take?" and "What types of scripts and texts are present in the epigraphs?" The research method is descriptive-analytical with a qualitative approach. Data collection methods include library research, field observations, interviews, and photography. The findings imply that the motifs and epigraphy of the mihrab were made of stucco used with the protruding stucco (barhashte) technique. The inscriptions are in Kufic, Suls, and Naskh scripts, set against backgrounds of vegetal and geometric patterns, and contain texts from the Holy Surahs of Tauba, Baqarah, Jinn, various sayings, and the phrases Allah Rabbi and Muhammad is my prophet. The mihrab motifs can be categorized into three types: Vegetal motifs such as dragon-mouth designs, Khataei stems, flowers, and leaves; geometric motifs including interlacing patterns, polygons, and simple geometric shapes; and a combination of intertwined geometric-vegetal designs or relief work on vegetal patterns. Symmetrical balance in the mihrab and harmony between imagery and epigraphy can be seen in the inscriptions. The mihrab and its geometric and vegetal motifs display a structured and regular geometric relationship based on golden ratios.