Wright, Elaine Julia2024-08-152024-08-1519881988https://hdl.handle.net/1828/20196All too often Islamic art is presumed to be purely decorative and devoid of meaning. This is especially true of illuminations. Although some scholars - notably Martin Lings - have dealt with the symbolic function of illuminations in general, the specific symbolism of the shamsa has been overlooked. The references to the sun and light that are evident in other forms of illumination, such as the surlawh, are especially pronounced in the shamsa. The reason for this is the precise symbolism that, in combination with general stylistic trends, molded the form of the shamsa in Iran. A research trip to the major manuscript collections of Great Britain and Ireland provided the visual data necessary for the study . The large number of examples located, ranging in date from 1240 to the early to mid-17th century , made possible a thorough examination of the stylistic development of the shamsa as well as a study of the role it played in the overall decorative program of a manuscript. A study of pre-Islamic Irania n concepts of kingship proved these to be the main source of the royal symbolism of the shamsa. The shamsa symbolizes the sun that shone from the head of Sasan, grandfather of Ardashir, founder of the Sasanian dynasty, indicating one who has captured the Royal Fortune (farrah) and thereby rules by divine right. It also expresses the cosmological­ specifically solar - exaltation of the monarch who is equated with the sun : the monarch is the centre of the terrestrial world as is the sun the centre of the cosmos. A comparison of the various elements of the shams a with Islamic theological doctrine revealed the shamsa also to be a material expression of the nature of the Divine, with a major source of its symbolism deriving from esoteric Islam - in the for m of both Sufism and Shi'ism . The emphasis placed on light in the overall development of Islamic theological thought and the concept of Divine Unity (tawhid) are the prime contributors to the interpretation of the shamsa as a symbol of the Divine. In order to deter mine the origins of the concept of employing a large, frequently inscribed, roundel (or shamsa) to mark the beginning , end or individual sections of a manuscript, it was necessary to look at both Byzantine and Hebraic art as well as the evolution of the Qur'anic roundel. It was determined that although each of these factors - in combination with the developing royal and divine symbolism - contributed to the appearance of the shamsa in the 13th century, the ultimate catalyst was the renewed interest in Greek medical and scientific treatises that exposed Islamic artists to the Greek practice of using a roundel (either inscribed or containing a divine symbol) to introduce a manuscript.246 pagesAvailable to the World Wide WebUN SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong InstitutionsThesis