Examining tree design carpets in Astan Qods Razavi museum

Academic Dissertation in Master of Handicrafts

Traditional Arts Research Orientation

Chapter One

Overview of the Research Plan

- Introduction

Nature with all its beauty has always inspired artists in various artistic fields, and it is natural that designers with the taste of Iranian carpets with their delicate nature and artistic profundity have all the beauty that the merciful and kind Creator has given them and scattered around them. Look carefully and use them in your works. The symbol of the tree is one of the oldest motifs that has attracted the attention of mankind and has used it in his works of art. This symbol, which is mostly praised as the sacred tree or the tree of life, has been of interest since 3500 BC in Mesopotamia and then in Iran. The presence of this symbol, which was used in various forms, was also seen in works of art until after the advent of Islam, but this belief is not as a tree of life and from a mythological point of view, but in a role created with the blessing of God, glorifying the divine essence and a sign of the promised paradise.

This role has been used many times in all branches of art, including carpets. In the art of carpet weaving, tree designs are one of the most important and diverse branches of carpet design, which are designed in various forms, including the tree altar design. But the use of the tree in the place of the mihrab has certainly had a philosophy that some of its forms can be considered as an allegory of heaven and some others as an allegory of the rosary creature, i.e. man, because the shape of the tree, in addition to being unlike the human figure, is not subject to the prohibition of painting in the place of prayer, at the same time, according to the Qur'anic verses, it is a glorifying and blessed creature that can be a good substitute for the human role in the place of the mihrab.

   This article seeks to answer these questions: What is the role of the tree in Iranian culture and art? Does the tree design in the carpets of Astan Quds museum have a special sanctity and is it related to the religious and cultural issues governing Astan Quds? And finally, are the works in Astan Quds different from other contemporary carpets outside Astan Quds? 1-2- Defining, stating the necessity and importance of the research problem: The tree design has a history as extensive as the exploitation of this role from prehistoric times to the present, and each period and each design is also a result of the mental and cultural perceptions of the owners of such designs, which can be examined in its place. The desire to perpetuate greenery and create palm trees covered spaces made people close to nature and the desire to benefit from this natural blessing increased. Gradually, the maturity of thought gave mankind the opportunity to create the desired spaces by mastering the nature in any place and decorate them as desired. Since the tree designs include themes such as genealogy, family, holy and spiritual connections and the like, it can be asked whether the tree designs on the carpets of Astan Quds have a material, spiritual, family and holy connection with this spiritual space? Or at least it should be noted that what are the characteristics of the tree designs of the carpets in Astan Quds, and is this feature comparable to similar and contemporary samples?

The tree design carpets studied in this research were selected by the experts of the Razavi Astan Quds Carpet Museum. The total number of works that are kept under this title in the Farsh Museum is 9, and all of them have been described and analyzed in this research. The time period of these carpets is related to the Safavid period to the contemporary period. For a comparative study of the carpets of the Astan Quds museums, works with a similar theme and role have been selected from Tehran museums. 1-3- History, background and theoretical literature of the research: In the field of tree design, many materials can be obtained, including these sources, the following can be mentioned: 1- Abeddoost, Hossein and Ziba Kazempour (2008), "Various forms of life on Iranian carpets". Goljam, Tehran: Scientific-Research Quarterly of Iranian Carpet Society, No. 12. This article examines the various forms of the sacred tree and plant (tree of life) on Iranian carpets. In addition, by comparing the more ancient concepts of these forms, the principle of continuity of life of the concepts of this symbol on carpets has been noticed..  Also, he first examines the relationship of the tree of life with the symbols of altar and light, sebu, protective animals, lotus and Simorgh, and introduces the examples in ancient Iranian art and Zoroastrian myths, and then introduces the design of the tree of life along with these symbols on Iranian carpets. The theme and content of this article is based on the tree of life on Iranian carpets, and although it does not mention the role of the tree design in the carpets of the Astan Quds Museum, which is the subject of this research, the article can be used to study tree designs and to know the location of the existing designs. This thesis, after presenting introductions about the concept of tree and tree of life, its first chapter deals with the symbolism of the tree. In the second chapter, Astoruhi has examined the tree of life myth and its themes in detail. The third chapter is dedicated to the symbols of the tree of life in the tree design carpet. This thesis also examines the tree of life and helps to study the designs of the museum carpets with more nobility and more complete knowledge. 3- Shuja Nouri, Niko (2016), "A tree carved on the carpet, a covering on the throne", Goljam, Tehran: Scientific Research Quarterly of the Iranian Carpet Association, No. 3. It has investigated the types of motifs of the mihrabi carpet, of which the tree mihrabi carpet is a type of it. He has also philosophically analyzed the two roles of the tree and the altar. As mentioned, this article examines the design of the tree and the altar, which is part of the title of this research, with the difference that in the upcoming research, we will study the role of the tree design in the carpets of the Astan Quds Museum, which is not mentioned in this article. 4- Arbabi, Bijan (2017), "Evaluation of the methods of classifying the design and pattern of the Iranian carpet", Goljam, Tehran: Scientific Research Quarterly of the Iranian Carpet Association, No. 11. This article seeks to know the pattern and role in Iranian carpets and tries to adopt a precise definition that has the necessary comprehensiveness. Also, he introduced and divided the types of carpet motifs. The mentioned article generally only introduced the patterns in the carpets and does not mention the tree designs in the carpets of the Astan Quds Museum. 5- Saleh Shushtri, Samieh and Ali Asghar Shirazi (1387), "Adaptation of the shape of a tree in nature with works of Iranian painting", Negre, Tehran: Analytical Research Quarterly of Shahid University Faculty of Art, No. 5. After taking a quick look at the nature in Islamic mysticism and the growing places of Iranian trees, this article, while familiarizing with the types of trees in Iranian gardens, has compared some types of Iranian trees with their similar species in paintings. In this article, only the comparative introduction of the role of trees in painting and nature has been discussed, and no study has been conducted on the tree design of carpets.

In the context of the carpets in Astan Quds Razavi, the following can be mentioned:

1- Timuri Brivanlou, Zahra and Mena Soltani (1389), "Investigation of the batte design in the Birjand carpet with an emphasis on the carpets of the Astan Museum" Qods Razavi", Mashhad: Electronic publication of Organization of Libraries and Museums and Astan Qods Razavi Document Center, No. 7 and 8. This article is related to the case study of idol designs of different textile centers and researches aimed at investigating the evolution of idol designs have been focused. It has also identified the designs of Birjand regional idols as a desirable study example. The purpose of this article is to introduce the types of idol designs common in the Birjand region from the Qajar period until now, to examine the characteristics of each of them, and finally to introduce and classify the carpets of the Birjand idols in the treasure of Astan Quds Razavi. This article only examines the bat design in the carpets of the Astan Quds Museum and does not mention the types of tree designs.

2- Kamandalo, Hossein (1388), "A Look at the Mihrabi Carpets of the Razavi Astan Quds Museum and the Review of the Haft Shahr Eshq Carpet", Negre, Tehran: Shahid University Faculty of Art Research Quarterly, No. 11. In this article, a brief look at the Mihrabi carpets of the Astan Quds Museum. Razavi also has Haft Shahr Eshq carpet design. This article briefly introduces the Mihrabi carpets of the Astan Quds Museum and does not analyze the motifs and only describes them. 3-Hajizadeh, Mohammad Amin (1386), research on the evolution of Mashhad carpet pattern in the last one hundred years, master's thesis, supervisor: Toraj Johle, Tehran, University of Arts.