Islamic Art Studies

Islamic Art Studies

The Function of the Mystical Allegory of "Unity" in Golshan-e Raz by Sheikh Mahmoud Shabestari and the Architectural Decorations of the Soltaniyeh Dome

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Abolfazl Bakhtiar 1
Zhila Serati 2
Ayoob Kooshan 3
1 PhD student, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Shabest branch, Islamic Azad University, Shabest, Iran.
2 Department of Persian Language and Literature, Shabester Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shabester, Iran
3 Department of Persian Literature, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran
10.22034/ias.2023.393888.2188
Abstract
Allegory in the realm of mystical literature is one of the most important tools for explaining mystical truths. Mystics, therefore, rely on allegorical language to express mystical and symbolic secrets. Among Sufi terms, the mystical allegory of "unity" stands out as one of the most practical expressions in Golshan-e Raz by Sheikh Mahmoud Shabestari. This research, conducted through a descriptive-analytical method and relying on library data collection, explores the concept of unity in Golshan-e Raz and its manifestations in the architectural decorations of the Soltaniyeh Dome. From the perspective of mystics like Sheikh Mahmoud Shabestari, humans, like a drop from the ocean of divine unity, must undergo stages of spiritual journey and inner purification (practical mysticism) to attain the intuitive knowledge of divine unity. Despite the apparent multiplicity in the world and the universe, all multiplicities are, in truth, partial particles of the absolute whole. This concept is vividly illustrated through the allegory of unity and its components in Golshan-e Raz, marking a pivotal point in Sheikh Mahmoud Shabestari's mysticism. Similarly, the decorations of the Soltaniyeh Dome exhibit clear manifestations of mystical unity in their geometric and floral patterns.
Research Objectives:


To explain the function of the mystical allegory of unity and its components in Golshan-e Raz from the perspective of Sheikh Mahmoud Shabestari.


To examine the mystical concept of unity and its components in Golshan-e Raz and the architectural decorations of the Soltaniyeh Dome.


Research Questions:


In what context is the allegory of unity used in Golshan-e Raz by Sheikh Mahmoud Shabestari?


What other manifestations of the allegory of unity are present in Golshan-e Raz and the decorations of the Soltaniyeh Dome?
Keywords
Golshan-e Raz
Sheikh Mahmoud Shabestari
Mysticism
Allegory
Unity

Subjects

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