Journal of Researches in Islamic Architecture

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Immovable inscriptions are considered as one of the most important works and among the historical documents in cultural assets of our dear country, which were installed on selected parts of historical buildings and outstanding monuments and were always noticeable. The role of inscriptions as the basic and effective tools is important in terms of manifesting and implication of educational and educative also the identity, construction date, founder, names of masters and artists of the building, especially its architect, and other information that may change based on the importance and situation of the building. The inscriptions show an integration of other arts, the most important of which is calligraphy and we can find its importance in the verses descended to our prophet (Muhammad, peace be upon him) -the first in Alagh Chapter the first chapter descended to prophet- that reminds the human that from whom has he learned writing and the second in Ghalam Chapter, swear to pen and what it writes. In this study, we intend to have a research about immovable inscription documents of Tabriz Historic Bazaar Complex using descriptive- analytical method documented by field studies and have a review on importance and characteristics of script and calligraphy in bringing inscription art to its highest peak and decipher the contents hidden in them. Here, Tabriz Historic Bazaar with the area of more than 27 hectares and more than 160 architectural elements is the greatest national registered work and the largest brick conjunct roofed historical complex of the world (registered in World Heritage List of UNESCO as “Tabriz Historic Bazaar Complex” in 2010). Tabriz Bazaar as a complete urban block (with different commercial, religious, cultural, educational, health, sport and residential complexes) is a unique sample of urban development elements of Islamic era. As most of famous historians and tourists have described it and told. Marco Polo reports on variation of goods and commodities made in Tabriz in the second half of Hijri century (1271) and mentions the great hidden wealth in Tabriz Bazaar and continues the residents of Tabriz made their living through trading and providing of different commodities. Beside the historical documents we witness the stone, plaster and tile inscriptive documents in different parts of Tabriz Historic Bazaar Complex that prove the identity and authenticity and existence of the complex with their different contents. These inscriptive documents have an important role in saving of information and communication of thoughts, ideas and human civilization from previous generations to the present generation. So, the described importance of deciphering of inscription documents’ contents as immovable documents in Tabriz Historic Bazaar resulted in making a research on them in order to analyze their contents and concepts beside documentation of their shapes. On the whole, the thing that expresses the contents and concepts of an inscriptive document is detected through an intermediate art called “script”, which is in fact an art or tool to register and write the mentalities and thoughts using the signs that are familiar to eyes. In fact, from the moment that human attempted to draw what he thinks, he took steps to the world of script and writing, from the paintings on the walls of caves up to Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic lines and its evolution during the history until invention of script and calligraphy and transferring it on inscription documents. The scripts used on Iranian inscription documents are divided into two categories: script in pre-Islamic era and script after accepting Islam by Iranians. The inscript documents studies here are relevant to the second type of script (script after accepting Islam). This study deals with deciphering of the shape and contents of inscript documents and their concepts and a description of the building, place of installation of inscript documents and deciphering of their contents are hinted in this study and the results obtained from analysis are mentioned. The present research is a field study and deciphering of forms are conducted using “Charmebardari” -a technique for primary sampling of designs and scripts of inscriptive documents and architectural decorations- at the end using computer software. At the end the results obtained from interpreted concepts of inscriptive documents’ deciphering contained very important and valuable information about the society at the time of creating that inscription document which can be categorized in two groups: the first group encompasses the spiritual concepts and the second group encompasses the applied concepts and each group is divided into subgroups and components (diagram1). Drawing the analytical diagram of the mentioned concepts we can clearly understand the existence of precise principles and order, which are intelligently applied in management of cities during Islamic era and have shown the society a transcendental way with wisely integration (in spiritual and applied concepts) of world and other worldly issues in order for accomplishment of those objectives taking advantages of the primary and basic principles of Islam. Here, the religious architecture, as a whole, and inscriptive documents, as a part of it, have been able to be a manifestation of God in the space of Islamic architecture with their dual application both in their own nature and with words contained in them.

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One of the most attractive and most diverse decorations of the Safavid period architecture is Nastaliq inscriptions that have been implemented in different ways in buildings with different applications. The scrolls contain valuable information such as a description of the building, patrons and artists who identify and introduce them to clear the hidden aspects of architecture and calligraphy history.
In addition, the aesthetic aspects of this work are also being investigated. From this perspective, one of the things that cannot be oblivious to it, the variety of practices those impacts on the quality of calligraphy in the inscriptions. The aim of this study is to identify common practices and introducing lesser-known practices in the implementation of Nastaliq inscriptions in the architectural decoration belonging Safavid dynasty.
This fundamental research is the descriptive study was conducted; the sampling method used is Post Stratification. Accordingly, the 204 available inscriptions have been studied. More than sixty percent of the documentary has been gathered by field researches. The results indicate that the first Nastaliq inscriptions were in 9th mid-century A.H. carving used in the series of gravestones in Herat.
Results show that in the Safavid period, this way has continued. In this period, the techniques divided to 6 main ways which containing 17 separable distinct subsets. The abundance percentage of the most common methods in inscriptions shows that: Stoney (51%) and Tile working (24.9%) are the most two usage ways. After those, the ornaments made of plaster, wood, metal and painting in terms of the number of samples are the other techniques. According to the classification of different methods, there are 6 unique techniques in research samples: Koshte-bori and Tokhme-gozari (two branches of Stucco Decorations) at Pinia House in Naein and Nim-Avard School at Isfahan, Laye-Chini (Gilded Decoration on Plaster) at Aliqapou Palac in Isfahan, Hakkaki (Wood Engraving) at Jame mosque in Natanz, Moshabbak-felez (Metallic Reticular) at Darbe-Imam in Isfahan and Qalamzani Barjaste (Metallic Relief Scrimshaw) at Chaharbagh School in Isfahan.   
Also, when applying such methods was used in architectural decoration are investigated based on dated samples. On the basis of dated inscriptions can be proposed as follows: the first technique is Stone Carving at 922-923 A.H. in Maydan mosque in Kashan and tomb of Imamzade Abolfotooh in Vanshan. Mosaic Tile is the next method which used probably in 918 and certainly in 951 A.H. After these two styles, respectively: Woodcut (963 A.H), Stucco (979 A.H), Metallic Scrimshaw (1011 A.H), Wood Engraving (1012 A.H), Stone Engraving (1020 A.H), and Stone Mosaic (1031 A.H), Haft-Rang Tile (1034 A.H), Painting (1073 A.H), Metallic Reticular (mid-11th century A.H), Rooye-koobi (1091 A.H), Tokhme-gozari and Laye-Chini (early 12th century A.H) and finally Metallic Relief Scrimshaw (1120 A.H).
This study shows that the variety of technical method used in Nastaliq Inscription was limited on first half of Safavid era and the culmination of a variety of methods has been in the 11th century A.H.

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Existing approaches to inscriptions tend often to regard various literary aspects, some considerations on the text content, historical importance, and tendency to the past events illustrated in the inscriptions, and this has led to the typology and classification of inscriptions in terms of endowment, decree, memorial, and construction themes, and in another way, the recognition of stuffs and materials.
In the meantime, it has been underestimated the artistic aspects of the inscriptions in terms of high-value calligraphy. An important part of this failing goes back to the lack of fundamentals and methods for the critique of inscriptions based on calligraphic considerations and its principles and rules. Although such principles and rules are regarded as an important source and criterion for understanding beauty, recognizing and analyzing calligraphy works, however this measure has been applied in non-engraving forms, piecewriting ,chalipa, scribing manuscripts, book binding, but neglected in the practice of inscription.
The purpose of this study is to provide theoretical and analytical bases and fundamentals on how to benefit from the principles and rules of calligraphy in inscription from the perspective of calligraphic art. The study is conducted in an analytical and descriptive method based on library studies and field data on inscriptions. Answering to the main question and issue of the research, i.e. how to analyze the inscriptions in terms of the principles and rules of calligraphy, an referring to the treatises and related researches on calligraphy, the findings of the study indicate that It is possible to use the principles and rules contained in the calligraphy treatises, with special considerations on inscription and architectural requirements with some necessary modifications and bearing in mind the degree of adaptation of some of them in the inscription.
The principles of proportion (alignment), composition (coordination), and seat are of more value. And the principles of Safa (succulence) and Shaan (pleasant) and the rule of the theoretical and practical writing are at the next importance. The way of recognition of the style and method as an essential component in the analysis of inscription, given the quality and quantity of inscriptions, is also important. It is obvious that the proposed principles, along with other methods and typologies of inscription studies, can lead to a more systematic understanding of the values of inscriptions, and provide a more fresh perspective for assessment and analysis of  aesthetic aspects of the inscriptions.