Islamic Art Studies

Islamic Art Studies

Analysis of the Application of Image Schemas in the Story of the Seven Cities of Love in Attar’s The Conference of the Birds (Manteq al-Tayr) — The Metropolitan Museum Manuscript

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Shokrolah Tatari 1
Farshad Mirzai Motlagh 2
Masood Sepahvandi 3
1 PhD student, Department of Literature, Khorramabad branch, Islamic Azad University, Khorramabad, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Literature, Khorramabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Khorramabad, Iran
3 Associate Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Khorramabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Khorramabad, Iran
10.22034/ias.2023.415071.2284
Abstract
The mystical journey has consistently been a central theme in Sufism and Islamic mysticism, wherein mystics undertake prolonged spiritual travels for the purification of the self. Essentially, mysticism and Sufism represent a form of voyage and experiential process through which the individual, while transcending the ego, perceives the divine within. Numerous eminent figures in Sufism have intertwined the concepts of external (cosmic) and internal (spiritual) journeys. The conceptual mechanism that facilitates the alignment of these two domains is termed an “image schema” or “conceptual schema.” Image schemas are primarily categorized into three major types: (1) motion-based; (2) volumetric; and (3) force-based. According to Johnson, humans construct conceptual structures in their minds by observing their own movements and other tangible, dynamic phenomena. These structures emerge from human physical experiences of the material and kinetic world. Among these, the motion schema is a crucial and frequently employed conceptual framework in mystical texts. Analyzing this schema reveals the underlying reasons for Attar’s emphasis on the Simurgh’s journey and the symbolic selection of numbers as guiding principles. This study, conducted through an analytical-descriptive methodology, seeks to answer the question: How are image schemas formed within the structure and narrative of The Conference of the Birds? The findings indicate the presence and application of motion, force, extension, and abstraction schemas within Attar’s mystical narrative.
Research Objectives:

To uncover and more precisely comprehend the mystical concepts and meanings embedded in Attar’s narratives.
To examine the motion, force, extension, and abstraction image schemas within Attar’s mystical story, with a particular focus on the Metropolitan Museum manuscript.

Research Questions:

What is the status and role of mystical concepts and meanings in Attar’s stories?
How are the motion, force, extension, and abstraction image schemas manifested in Attar’s mystical narrative?
Keywords
Image diagram
Haft Shahr Eshgh
Al-Tayr logic
Attar

Subjects

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