Chad Kia
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- January 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781474450386
- eISBN:
- 9781474464864
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474450386.001.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
Some of the world’s most exquisite medieval paintings, from late fifteenth-century Herat and the early Safavid workshops, illustrate well-known episodes of popular romances––like Leyla & Majnun––that ...
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Some of the world’s most exquisite medieval paintings, from late fifteenth-century Herat and the early Safavid workshops, illustrate well-known episodes of popular romances––like Leyla & Majnun––that give prominence to depictions of unrelated figures such as a milkmaid or a spinner at the scene of the hero Majnun’s death. This interdisciplinary study aims to uncover the significance of this enigmatic, century-long trend from its genesis at the Timurid court to its continued development into the Safavid era. The analysis of iconography in several luxury manuscript paintings within the context of contemporary cultural trends, especially the ubiquitous mystical and messianic movements in the post-Mongol Turco-Persian world, reveals the meaning of many of these obscure figures and scenes and links this extraordinary innovation in the iconography of Persian painting to one of the most significant events in the history of Islam: the takeover of Iran by the Safavids in 1501. The apparently inscrutable figures, which initially appeared in illustrations of didactic Sufi narrative poetry, allude to metaphors and verbal expressions of Sufi discourse going back to the twelfth century. These “emblematic” figure-types served to emphasize the moral lessons of the narrative subject of the illustrated text by deploying familiar tropes from an intertextual Sufi literary discourse conveyed through verses by poets like Rumi, Attar and Jami, and ended up complementing and expressing Safavid political power at its greatest extent: the conversion of Iran to Shiism.Less
Some of the world’s most exquisite medieval paintings, from late fifteenth-century Herat and the early Safavid workshops, illustrate well-known episodes of popular romances––like Leyla & Majnun––that give prominence to depictions of unrelated figures such as a milkmaid or a spinner at the scene of the hero Majnun’s death. This interdisciplinary study aims to uncover the significance of this enigmatic, century-long trend from its genesis at the Timurid court to its continued development into the Safavid era. The analysis of iconography in several luxury manuscript paintings within the context of contemporary cultural trends, especially the ubiquitous mystical and messianic movements in the post-Mongol Turco-Persian world, reveals the meaning of many of these obscure figures and scenes and links this extraordinary innovation in the iconography of Persian painting to one of the most significant events in the history of Islam: the takeover of Iran by the Safavids in 1501. The apparently inscrutable figures, which initially appeared in illustrations of didactic Sufi narrative poetry, allude to metaphors and verbal expressions of Sufi discourse going back to the twelfth century. These “emblematic” figure-types served to emphasize the moral lessons of the narrative subject of the illustrated text by deploying familiar tropes from an intertextual Sufi literary discourse conveyed through verses by poets like Rumi, Attar and Jami, and ended up complementing and expressing Safavid political power at its greatest extent: the conversion of Iran to Shiism.
Chad Kia
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- January 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781474450386
- eISBN:
- 9781474464864
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474450386.003.0003
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
Presenting the first case study, this chapter introduces the 1487 manuscript of Attar’s Sufi allegory Mantiq al-tayr (Conference of the Birds) as the seminal work in which scenes and figures that are ...
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Presenting the first case study, this chapter introduces the 1487 manuscript of Attar’s Sufi allegory Mantiq al-tayr (Conference of the Birds) as the seminal work in which scenes and figures that are unconnected to the narrative subject first appear, launching the new iconography that would characterise Persian manuscript painting for decades.Less
Presenting the first case study, this chapter introduces the 1487 manuscript of Attar’s Sufi allegory Mantiq al-tayr (Conference of the Birds) as the seminal work in which scenes and figures that are unconnected to the narrative subject first appear, launching the new iconography that would characterise Persian manuscript painting for decades.
Belden C. Lane
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- April 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780190842673
- eISBN:
- 9780190936402
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190842673.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion, World Religions
In myth and folklore, birds (and cranes in particular) have traditionally been symbols of transcendence and rebirth. The Sufi mystic Farid ud-Din Attar, in his The Conference of the Birds, offered a ...
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In myth and folklore, birds (and cranes in particular) have traditionally been symbols of transcendence and rebirth. The Sufi mystic Farid ud-Din Attar, in his The Conference of the Birds, offered a parable of birds going on pilgrimage to find the divine king of their dreams, openly to discover in the end that they were the mystery they had sought all along. The author reads this text on a trip to see sandhill cranes along the Platte River in Nebraska. These cranes fly 10,000 miles between Mexico and northern Alaska (and back) each year, stopping in March to feed for a few weeks. In the history of symbols, birds are routinely portrayed as omens of death, embodiments of departed spirits, or symbols of transcendent mystery. But of all birds, the crane—by the majesty of its size alone—inspires admiration. The huge white bird with a bright red crown is a symbol of longevity and good luck. It was believed to have a life span of a thousand years or more.Less
In myth and folklore, birds (and cranes in particular) have traditionally been symbols of transcendence and rebirth. The Sufi mystic Farid ud-Din Attar, in his The Conference of the Birds, offered a parable of birds going on pilgrimage to find the divine king of their dreams, openly to discover in the end that they were the mystery they had sought all along. The author reads this text on a trip to see sandhill cranes along the Platte River in Nebraska. These cranes fly 10,000 miles between Mexico and northern Alaska (and back) each year, stopping in March to feed for a few weeks. In the history of symbols, birds are routinely portrayed as omens of death, embodiments of departed spirits, or symbols of transcendent mystery. But of all birds, the crane—by the majesty of its size alone—inspires admiration. The huge white bird with a bright red crown is a symbol of longevity and good luck. It was believed to have a life span of a thousand years or more.
J.S. Grewal
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- March 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780199467099
- eISBN:
- 9780199089840
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780199467099.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, Indian History
In the early 1890s, Master Tara Singh (Nanak Chand) was so impressed by the stories of Singh martyrs that he thought of becoming a Keshdhārī Singh. Initiated by Sant Attar Singh in 1901, Master Tara ...
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In the early 1890s, Master Tara Singh (Nanak Chand) was so impressed by the stories of Singh martyrs that he thought of becoming a Keshdhārī Singh. Initiated by Sant Attar Singh in 1901, Master Tara Singh decided to dedicate his life to the service of the Sikh Panth. After the government took over the management of Khalsa College, Amritsar, he began to participate in all anti-government agitations. As Head Master of Khalsa High School, Lyallpur, he was closely associated with the group of Sikh leaders who were more radical than the Chief Khalsa Diwan. His sympathy with the ‘Canadian’ Sikhs, and his interest in the Komagata Maru voyage and the Budge Budge firing made him all the more anti-British. His familiarity with gurbāṇī, Sikh history, and Punjabi literature was reflected in his controversy with the Arya Samaj leaders.Less
In the early 1890s, Master Tara Singh (Nanak Chand) was so impressed by the stories of Singh martyrs that he thought of becoming a Keshdhārī Singh. Initiated by Sant Attar Singh in 1901, Master Tara Singh decided to dedicate his life to the service of the Sikh Panth. After the government took over the management of Khalsa College, Amritsar, he began to participate in all anti-government agitations. As Head Master of Khalsa High School, Lyallpur, he was closely associated with the group of Sikh leaders who were more radical than the Chief Khalsa Diwan. His sympathy with the ‘Canadian’ Sikhs, and his interest in the Komagata Maru voyage and the Budge Budge firing made him all the more anti-British. His familiarity with gurbāṇī, Sikh history, and Punjabi literature was reflected in his controversy with the Arya Samaj leaders.
