Architectural decoration under Shah 'Abbas

dc.contributor.authorCavanaugh, Julianne E. (Julianne Edith)en_US
dc.date.accessioned2024-08-13T17:28:00Z
dc.date.available2024-08-13T17:28:00Z
dc.date.copyright1981en_US
dc.date.issued1981
dc.degree.departmentDepartment of History in Art
dc.degree.departmentDepartment of Art History and Visual Studies
dc.degree.levelMaster of Arts M.A.en
dc.description.abstractIn 1006/1597-8, Shah 'Abbas I moved his capital from Qazvin to Isfahan, and implemented the construction of a complex of buildings around a great square, or Maydan. Four of these structures were chosen for study: the 'Ali Qapu on the west, which began as the guard gate to the palace precincts and became a center for public receptions; the Shaykh Lotfollah Mosque, on the east side of the square; the Masjid-i- Shah, the congregational mosque at the south end; and the Maydan wall as a whole, the Qaysariya Bazaar portal and the bazaar complex to the north. The last group of structures is taken as a whole as it is the embodiment of the commercial center of the plan. Several aspects of each building are examined: the form, the decorative plan, and the function. The decoration on the buildings is carefully designed and uses a variety of media. Following an outline of the governmental structure and society, hypotheses are advanced about the significance of each part of the above analysis, and con­clusions are drawn about the symbolic nature of each building. From this analysis it can be seen that the structures of the Maydan complex have symbolic meanings central to the Safavid monarchy, and function both as working architecture and as propaganda for the state. Within the Maydan, called Nags-e Jahan Square, or Picture-of-the- World, are buildings associated with theology, law, religion, and the secular functions of the state. These symbols are carefully defined by the decorations on the buildings (or the lack of decora­tion), and while the style of the decorations is consistent, the compositions vary widely according to the function and wider meaning of the building.en_US
dc.format.extent272 pages
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1828/17409
dc.rightsAvailable to the World Wide Weben_US
dc.titleArchitectural decoration under Shah 'Abbasen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US

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