Maremat & Me'mari-e Iran
Art University of Isfahan
1- University of Art , a.sheikhi@art.ac.ir
2- , Ferdows Institute of Higher Education
2- , Ferdows Institute of Higher Education
Abstract: (1000 Views)
Decoration is an integral and key part of Islamic architecture, and Iranian minarets of the 11th and 12th centuries CE areuniquely characterized among others by ornamental brickwork. The tradition of brickwork decoration, with its earliest attestations in the 8th and 9th centuries CE, would climax in the Saljuq and Ghaznavid periods, notably in Greater Khorasan. Itmanifestsitself starkly in the lofty shafts of minarets used for navigational purposes.Saljuqbuilders pioneered the richest decorationson walls and coverings, ceilings and minarets, with their foremost attainment being the :union: of revetment (āmoud) withmainstructure. The present paperexplores decorations ofthe minaret towersin historical Khorasan, with the scope of the research narrowed down to the Ghaznavid and Saljuq examples. Adopting aqualitative approach,it represents a descriptive, analytical and historical research. Hence, the decorations and functions of the major minarets from theconcerned timespan, viz.Minaret of, Mil-e Ayāz at Sang Bast, Minaret of Khowsrogerdin Sabzevar, Minaret of Firuzabad in Bardaskan, and Minaret of Keratin Taybad, wereanalyzed technically and visually.The theoretical framework rests on examining the brick ornamentations of the minarets. Data were collected through library research but also more importantly through fieldwork, which involved photography and field documentation. Drawing on the findings of the study, the structure of the minarets is divisible into four general parts: thecap, shaft, base, and sharafe (or ambulatory).Brick is the sole masonry used, and theattested decorative techniques include variousbrickbond layouts as well as inscriptions. Each structural part almost unvaryingly shows specific sets of ornaments. Hence, intricatebrickwork geometric patterns (golandazes)occur on the cap, bannaiKufic inscriptions on thesharafe,brick bond patterns,hamils, and a “compass arrow” on the shaft, and bonds of seven courses on the base.
- The ornamental brickworks of the Ghaznavid and Saljuq periodshave not yet been subject of a serious scholarship, and the related art represented on the minarets of Khorasan remains unintroducedas yet.
- Anappraisal of the decorations will bring to light a further aspect of the Ghaznavid and Saljuq artistic traditions that can inspire contemporary architecture.
- What are the structure and visual attributes of the brick ornaments on the minarets of Aiaz, Kerat, Firuzababd and Khowsrogard in Khorasan?
- What are the shared and differentiating factors in the visual ornaments of the Ghaznavid and Saljuq minarets in Khorasan?
Article number: 148
Type of Study: Research original/ Regular Article |
Subject:
معماري و شهرسازي
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