Investigating the evolution of the chapters of the Qur'an found in Astan Quds Razavi (PBUH) from the beginning of Islam to the Safavid period (with an emphasis on gilding) - the practical title of performing 5 religious works inspired by the chapters of the first chapters of Islam until the Safavid period

Academic Thesis in the Masters Degree in Handicrafts

Iranian Painting Trend

Abstract:

The rise of the religion of Islam and the appearance of the Word of Revelation prompted the Muslims of early Islam to try to preserve and record the Qur'an. Therefore, the writing of the Holy Quran in the early centuries of the Hijri began, and calligraphy and gilding were given special attention as the turning point of this art. Gradually, the sectarians embellished the text of the Qur'an with decorations, the most obvious of which are the decoration of the titles of the surahs and the space between the verses.

Given that in examining the artistic styles of each period, it is always necessary to reflect, even if briefly, on the course of developments in the field of art before and simultaneously with that historical period, so that from this point of view, one can reach a more comprehensive attitude towards understanding the characteristics of different artistic styles. Therefore, in this research, the evolution of the verses of the Qur'an from the beginning of Islam to the Safavid period has been collected in 4 chapters.

The research method in this thesis is historical-descriptive, which is based on analytical arguments and presentation of statistical tables, and to collect information, the library method and the collection of samples of artworks in the Astan Quds Razavi Museum were used.

The terms of Quranic gilding and their characteristics are completely separated. And it should be specified such as Sarluh, Sarsura and . The semantic and conceptual load of each component of gilding, such as the colors used and be the subject of research.

Keywords: Sarsoureh, gilding, book design, calligraphy

Introduction

Formal arts and decoration have been popular among artists since ancient times. With the advent of Islam, the field for the growth and flourishing of the art of decorating and gilding religious books and painting and illustrating mosques was provided. Since the focus of all arts has been attention and influence from the Qur'an; Therefore, the importance of the decoration and beauty of the Holy Quran increased the activity of artists and flourished calligraphy, which is one of the key arts of the Islamic period. The miracle of the Qur'an and its sanctity and divinity caused artists to take effective steps in order to make the letters beautiful in such a way as to enchant the viewer.

At the beginning of the Islamic era, the use of gilding was rare and the motifs used in it were not sufficiently abstract. This branch of art was less considered individually and was more at the service of other Islamic arts. In other words, gilding in its general aspect was a supplement to calligraphy, which spread the rich Islamic culture from the early centuries of Hijri along with calligraphy (Afshar Mohajer, 1380: 18). In addition, the fear of adding any superfluous element to the text of the Qur'an made the gilding a place for reflection. It can be said with certainty that it was this fear combined with respect that led the development of gilding in exactly the right channels and guaranteed the achievement of a result that everyone agrees on its astonishing accuracy (Lings, 1377: 71). In other words, the Qur'an itself has places that encouraged the religion to add elements and arrays. Based on the works left in the written Qurans, the head of the chapter and the space between the verses were the most significant and the first places that were able to be decorated. At first, these decorations included a very simple inscription of the title of the chapter and the number of verses, in Kufic script, without dots and Arabic, which was written with a gold pen and black writing, but gradually and simultaneously with the changes that took place in the background of the script, the gilding also underwent changes that were in complete harmony with the changed script and gave more richness and glory to the arrangement of manuscripts (Qandharion, 1389: 15).

It seems that the first position of decoration There have been sarsouras. Sarsuras were places that religious people decorated and gilded using geometric shapes, stars, flowers and bushes, branches and leaves, all kinds of bergamot, etc. and using gold, lapis lazuli, saffron, green and silver colors. Qur'anic, to be used. Because this helps in undated Qurans to comment with more certainty about the possible date of Qurans. Therefore, in this research, the surahs are considered as the most significant places to show these motifs in order to study their evolution in the four periods of early Islam, Seljuq, Ilkhanid and Timurid.

Chapter 1

Generalities of the research

1-1- Defining, stating the necessity and importance of the problem

In the early centuries of Islamic rule, the art of book arrangement included religious books, especially the words of God, and the arrangement of books included geometric and non-geometric motifs that were used in the headings of the blessed chapters of the Qur'an, at the bottom of the lines and at the margins of the pages. The reluctance of Islamic artists to imitate nature, emphasis on mental and symbolic concepts, abstract painting and decorative motifs are some of the common features of these motifs.

Since the art of gilding was used more in the decoration of Kalamullah Majid and had a rich Islamic meaning, therefore the gilding of various Qurans was studied throughout history until the contemporary period and their ethnic, structural and compositional characteristics were investigated. What has been done about the gilding of the Qur'an has been done in a general way, no specific work has been done in the field of surahs, and if anything has been written, it has had some shortcomings. Therefore, in this research, considering the need to address such a topic and to better identify the artistic features of the Quran, by analyzing motifs in different historical periods from the beginning of Islam to the Safavid period, the shape characteristics and decorations of this period, as well as the reasons for the use of suras in these Quranic books, have been determined.

Based on this, the present research, while examining the historical, cultural and artistic conditions, emphasizes the importance of the position of the book arrangement of the Quran in the five periods of the beginning of Islam, Abbasid, Seljuk, Ilkhani and Timuri (from the 1st to the 9th centuries A.H.) and considering that the main emphasis is on the analysis of gilding motifs as well as the use of suras and their effects in the formation of Quranic arts, and because calligraphy and calligraphy require a broader explanation, therefore, to avoid prolonging the word and presenting repetitive content, to broad concepts such as the history of calligraphy and writing.

1-2- Research questions

1- What are the visual and artistic features in the verses of the Qurans of Astan Quds Razavi during the early days of Islam until Timurid?

2- Can these verses help us in better and more identification of the evolution of gilding, book design and the development of new techniques?

3- Is there a particular pattern and tradition in drawing motifs

4- Has the cultural, political, artistic and religious structure had an effect on the creation and formation of surahs?

5- What visual characteristics do the Quranic decorations have that contain some mystical and Islamic concepts? They have enjoyed the visual features that govern the book design school of their time.

It seems that the decorative arrays of patterns and colors in the surahs of the Qur'an are suitable tools to identify the Quranic arts during the period under study.

It seems that the course of evolution of the surahs depends on the time they were made, and the technique of making them has also changed in relation to the cultural, political, artistic and religious situation.

It seems that the appropriate political and social conditions along with material support and spiritual, providing an environment for education and activity provides a suitable platform for the creation of works of art and their all-round development. Each of these governments had a direct involvement in the training of gilding artists and calligraphers of that time. The art of book-setting, which had declined during the Sassanid period, was revived with the influence of Islam in Iran, and decorating the Qur'an led to the growth of these arts.

At the beginning of the Islamic era, the use of gilding was limited and the motifs used did not have enough simplicity. But from the 4th century AH onwards - when Islamic art almost took a definite form and grew little by little - most of the decorative motifs were illustrated on surfaces that were highly abstracted and mixed with the artist's imagination and creative mind, in a way that was done in the early Islamic, Abbasid, Seljuq, Ilkhani and Timurid periods; The art of gilding enjoyed an evolutionary development.