The Effect of Mithraism on Safavid Tangled-Fish Design Carpets

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 PhD, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Sistan and Baluchestan University, Zahedan, Iran.

2 Master student, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Sistan and Baluchestan University, Zahedan, Iran.

Abstract

Carpets have undergone one of the stages of prosperity and richness during the Safavid period. In this historic period, the establishment of large royal workshops under the support of the Safavid government paved the way for the creation of beautiful designs with ancient patterns of the carpets of this era. By studying the carpet designs of the Safavid period, the existence of religious and non-religious notions is exposed. The issue under study is the influence of ancient religious beliefs of Iran on the carpet designs of this period. Mithraism is considered as a belief in which the emergence and continuity of its symbols are observed in many of the arts of the Islamic period. The research in hand is conducted via a descriptive and analytical method while relying on library data. Findings indicate that the appearance of tangled fish motifs in Safavid carpets is influenced by the beliefs of Mithraism. The appearance of the tangled fish subsequent to flower motifs has also been one of the artistic features of antiquity abundantly perceived in Safavid carpet designs. The motif of the tangled fish or "Herati" design is the appearance of two fish amidst the face of the “Mehr”.
Research aims:
1. An analysis of the effect of the Mehr religious symbol on the carpet designs of the Safavid period.
2. An investigation on the presence of the tangled-fish pattern in Safavid carpets.
Research questions:
1. Under what religious impact was the tangled-fish design generated in the carpets of the Safavid period?
2. What were the characteristics of the tangled-fish design in Safavid carpets?

Keywords

References

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Islamic Art Studies
Volume 17, Issue 40 - Serial Number 40
February 2021
Pages 268-282

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