Religious Concepts in the Local Paintings of Tekyeh Places in Mazandaran.

Tekye places are architectural monuments that bear a religious purpose; they were constructed in the Qajar era throughout Iran and in particular in a number of villages in Mazandaran. The roof and walls of the Tekyeh places are filled with various designs embedded with religious and non-religious conceptsinspired by ancient Persia and the Islamic ages. The paintings take into account the local perceptions of the people; hence, painters of Tekyeh places endeavor to decorate this religious place of gathering in accordance with the needs of the people and the religious setting of the region; therefore, they illustrate scenes from the Ashura event, stories from the Qur’an, and concepts of good and evil. According to the researches carried out in this area, the main objective of such painters is to firstly respect the local beliefs of the people and secondly to convey the message of rightfulness and preserve the humanity values of the Ashura event and the lives of the Imams. Moreover, they focus on describing spiritual concepts in simple and expressive wordings combined with realism, cognition and symbolism. Understanding why artists chose such religious concepts to convey the message of Islam and humanity.Recognizing how artists convey such a message thorough the techniques of realism and symbolism.Questions:Considering the religious beliefs, what are the main objectives of artists of local religious paintings in Tekyeh places? What is the main idea behind the painting of Tekyeh places?