Journal of Researches in Islamic Architecture

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In the Islamic architecture of Iran, meaning, aesthetics, shape and structure are four fundamental factors by an appropriate combination of them a traditional architect is able to manifest an image of metaphysical world on material world. A rational and integrated relation of these factors has put the Islamic architecture of Iran in an outstanding position. An important challenge of the modern architecture is the lack of an intergrated relation among its constituting factors. The main cause of this shortcoming is moving away from traditional roots and doctorines that has lead to the disintegration of defferent phases of design process and construction, changing architects education, and fast construction. In order to disclose the relation between metaphysical factors (meaning and aesthetics) and physical factors (function, form, geometry and structure) in architecture, it is first necessary to analyse cases that contain the relation in an outstanding way. For this reason, a number of majestic historical mosques, in which the manifestation of meaning in their form has been proved, have been studied. Literature on meaning, aesthetics, geometry and structure has been reviewed. Utilisation of the four factors in historical buildings of Iran has been explained. Relation among interfering factors in design process has been illustrated in the buildings. An algorithm for architectural design process in the modern world has been proposed in which the positions of the four factors have been defined.

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Discussions derived from epistemology and its sub-branches are of the most important theoretical grounds affecting theoretical basis of art schools in particular architecture styles. During recent decades, two approaches of epistemology have been reciprocally shaped to know how one can paraphrase the meaning of physical environment. In the first approach, the audience and his knowledge are main foundations in the process of perception and cognition of environmental meaning. However, there is audience meaning nobility in this approach and therefore, all meanings are considered convincing and neither can be granted as final meaning of environment. So it can be called "Audience-Oriented" approach. While the second approach, has a perceptible reality in the final meaning of environment that should be received during a firm process. Accordingly, it is not impossible to discover the intention of environment architect by reviewing his work and (only the meaning which accords with this intention is considered convincing) the only meaning that accords with this intention is considered convincing. So, this approach can be called "Author-Oriented". In addition to comparative analogy between two above-said (these two) approaches, this study clarifies a third one that makes its cognitive base on Islamic (thoughts) teachings. According to this new approach, the main foundation of the process of environmental meaning paraphrase is the physical environment (or text) and so it can be called "Text-Oriented". In order to explain and collate the triple approaches, the present study (this research) uses archival research while enjoying, simultaneously, the logical argumentation research to arrange data resulted from archival studies.

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In Islamic thought, imagination has a special importance and place in artistic creation. The nature of imagination has created such opportunity to realize this fact the each spiritual affair to be imagined should occur partially and tangibly in imagination. In fact, the imagination is the interface between meaning and material and its images, on one hand, are similar to the matter and on the other hand, are separated from the body and spirit. With regards to such nature and capability of this power, using the imagination in the creation of valuable art and architecture is highly effective. The artist, like all other human beings, enjoys all aspects of perception, but uses his imaginative perception in artistic creation more than others. The artist expresses his mental concept, within the words or images or changes them into the sound, or makes it with brick and stone. In all of these creations, what the sacred artist creates in his mind is free of sense and the physical world. Even, when he recreates the nature in his works, it is not the same as nature, but his imagination and creativity power are reflected in his work. What is formed in the artist’s mind is partial with an image and hence is in the imaginative perception area. For this reason, what is created by artist is fully dependent on his imaginative power.   
Like other arts, meaning in Islamic architecture is a fundamental and necessary concept which visualizes an imagination of the meaning world in a matter world by physical and non-physical factors. But, despite the critical role of meaning, current studies have not discussed such issue. In fact, the architect perceives the real world, but in his creation, he does not only imitate, but tries to manifest that fact. Hence, he starts recognition from the matter, but the more he progress, he makes his recognition deeper, separates from the mater and achieves the concepts and rationales. This process occurs in imagination world which is separated from the real world and the wisdom world perception is attained.
The present study aims at explaining the imagination position as the interface for manifestation of meanings in architecture design and its role in architecture design process. In this research, the background related to the imagination in Islamic thought in areas of imagination world and its steps, imaginative perception and sacred art and creation are investigated. By descriptive – analytic method focusing on the rational inference and reasoning, this study deals with the data and collected materials.
To start the design from meaning area, it is necessary to take areas of meaning into account. Meaning area in architecture is the same as the mental concepts of designers which is related to the culture, innate feelings and values of designer. Therefore, starting the design from the architectural qualities like life and presence in space paves the way to achieve the ideas with meaning substance. Trend of meaning manifestation in architectural works (architectural space and form) is made with the help of imagination. Accordingly, each concept or meaning should initially takes and imaginative aspect to become evident in the real and tangible world. Meaning comes from the designer’s entity and the imaginative images of meaning are manifested in architectural space and form. Enjoying the meaning movement is design process is: paying attention and achieving the concepts and meanings (meaning), transforming these meanings into the intellectual images and ideas creation (imagination), recreation of these images in tan bilge world while conforming with both the imagination world and limitations of tangible world (architecture work). Movement of the meaning of the tangible is understood by artist and movement of the tangible to meaning by the audience. For this reason, artist and audience, communicate through affecting each other.
 

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Since urban spaces are the focal point of the inhabitants of the earth, they can be considered the most appropriate area of manifestation of human culture, social communication and the history of nations, but today what is happening in Iranian cities is a departure from the rich cultural and ancient values of the inhabitants of this land and by a deeper look "reversal of the art of the times". There is no doubt that cityscape design has been very influential in the formation of cities. This urban component and its symbols reflect the character, function and culture of the city's inhabitants, and therefore the spiritual effects of the city are worthy of credit. This cityscape has not had a single concept in different literary, artistic, mystical and urbanization yet and its position in the field of urbanization is still unclear. One of the most important foundations of religious art is the consideration of meaning behind the face and appearance in such a way that the discovery of any meaning for man is in the form in which the meaning of it is manifested. Mysticism also places two dimensions of appearance and interior for each reality, and believes that the survival of meaning is not possible except through the form and what the mind can understand is a meaning that appears in the order of a form. But the issue that has been addressed in this study is whether this form and appearance are the same as the cityscape in urbanization? This research attempts to recreate this notion of architectural descriptive-analytical method by comparing different theories in various literary, mystical and urban areas in order to clarify the paradox in the concept of cityscape. In Persian, the word "image" means a face, a face or a state in the form of a human being that represents internal states, which is the same as the one used in the field of mysticism, and ultimately, the form and the meaning in the unity that is the face of the same meaning and The meaning is the same, but in the area of urbanization, various and contradictory interpretations of the term image have been brought about, which is far removed from the general meaning of cityscape; so that for some urban planners, cityscape is the subjective aspect of Urban Landscape , and everything that one perceives after viewing the perspective, cityscape knows, but some others introduce cityscape to the same face and appearance of City. According to the data of this research in the field of the concept of the word image in various literary, artistic, mystical and urban areas, it seems that the word Image has not been correctly equated in the field of urbanization. Regarding the purpose of this study, the insight of this contradiction of the concept of image in various fields of study, it can be concluded that in the field of urbanization, as in the literary and mystical areas, the concept of the word cityscape should be the same face and appearance of the city and the term cityscape And nature as the equivalent and perhaps new replacement for the urban landscape that is being used today in urban planning with a different conception. This phrase also expresses the face and the face of the city, and it mirrors the meaning of the appearance.

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Architecture is the product of different contexts؛ so, the way of dealing the builders of a building with the architectural elements, has different semantic and physical manifestations in different contexts, despite the similarity in general. As an example, the light in the Shia religion of Islam is a symbol of the divine essence and expression of existence and it has always been considered by Muslim architects. To the extent that the spatial perception of many buildings of this period, regardless of the semantic position of light, leads to an incomplete understanding of space. This is especially visible in the design of religious buildings in general and mosques in particular. The mosque, which is the manifestation of the most ideal religious ideas and the most complete symbol of Islamic architecture, has been the best place to observe and study the theoretical and practical connections of its builders. However, today, in the construction of mosques, the role of light has been reduced only as one of the climatic elements and only for the function of lighting. The semantic aspects of light as they existed in the past are no longer known. The premise of this research is that light has appeared in the architecture of Isfahan in the Safavi period by emphasizing the semantic principles of the art. So the aim of this study is investigation of the qualitative characteristics of the presence of light in the architecture of Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque in Isfahan. The statistical population of this research is the mosques of the Safavi period in Isfahan. Among them, three mosques of Sheikh Lotfollah, Hakim and Imam have been studied. The research method of this study is descriptive-analytical and case study. The required data for this research have been collected through field observations, photography and library studies and have been qualitatively analyzed. After a semantic study of the presence of light in Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, a three-dimensional hierarchical system was identified. This structure includes three stages of separation, transfer and connection (pause, ‌movement and emphasis) in the design of this building. A system that seeks to move from matter to spirituality, to move from darkness to light, to move from heaviness to light, and to move from the underworld to the world of divinity. The result is an all-spiritual space in which the presence of God is felt everywhere.

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