Tarikh Islam

Along with the establishment of the Ilkhanate and Timurid governments and their tolerant policies, a new chapter of social and political life was established for the Shites in the 8th and 9th centuries AH. The Shiites gradually became free to speak [there was no need for taqiyyah] and were not isolated anymore and began to publish their thoughts in various fields, including architecture and its related arts. Therefore, architectural works have a special position in identifying the religious thoughts and beliefs of the Shiites of this period. Identifying the historical context of Shia beliefs and rituals in the Iranian architecture, this research seeks to answer the following question: how Shia artists reflected their beliefs in their architecture and what tools and forms did they use to convey them? I have used a historical research method to answer this question. The findings of this research show that Shia religious beliefs have influenced both the appearance and the interior of the architectural works and constructions of this period. The Shiite artists have tried to express their thoughts and beliefs - such as devotion to the pure Imams, especially Imam Ali, shahadatain (recitation of the articles of faith), the great salawat (veneration for Mohammad), and topics such as Quranic verses and Divine names, qodsi and prophetic hadiths and narrations - through lights and colors, inscriptions and shamseh medallions. The increase in Shiite slogans and beliefs is also closely related to the political and social developments of these centuries, i.e., the fall of the Abbasid Caliphate, the religious tolerance of the Mongols, as well as the growth of Sufism and its connection with Shiism.