We are in the first days of the Iranian New Year. It is a good opportunity to watch the beauties of the nature which are indeed a caller to the power and beauty of God.
The Iranian art and culture have created exquisite works which absorb every viewer. Iranian artists have always tried to record the national and religious ceremonies. Nowruz has also been recorded by these artists. These artists have played a major role in preservation of Nowruz customs and conveying to them to the next generations.
Although the name of Nowruz had not been mentioned in the texts of the Achaemenid era but the very palace of Takht-e Jamshid (Persepolis) can be a reason for holding Nowruz ceremonies or spring festivities. The oldest part of Takht-e Jamshid is related to the 513 BC. This huge edifice could neither have been the capital of the emperor nor his permanent residence. Takht-e Jamshid was the ceremonial and ritual capital of the Achaemenids in which they would hold Nowruz and other festivities gloriously and different delegations from other countries would attend the ceremonies. The columns of Takht-e Jamshid are like trees. The designs of cypress, lotus and other flowers can be seen everywhere in the palace. These drawings and carvings indicate spring and flowering. There is an inscription on the southern wall of Takht-e Jamshid. It is in cuneiform and Old Farsi language. It contains prayers which seem to have been recited in Nowruz among the nobilities and the representatives of other nations. These historical documents and artistic works indicate that Nowruz was blended with prayer and supplication at the divine court and asking God for blessing, peace, calm and prosperity.
As the Safavids changed their capital from Qazvin to Isfahan, the general map of Isfahan was planned with palaces, gardens, streets, bridges and bazaars which were concentrated around a huge square called Naqsh-e Jahan (World Design). The ornamentation of Chehel Sotoon and Aali Qapu palaces was paid special attention upon the order of Shah Abbas. The walls of these two palaces were filled with beautiful drawings. These murals are considered among the best in the country. Shah Abbas held the Nowruz ceremonies of 1598 in Aali Qapu and immediately expanded it. This palace owes its beauty mostly to the walls which have been gilded from top to bottom. The designs of Takht-e Jamshid have been carved on stone but the ones in Aali Qapu have been displayed in drawings.
Nowruz (New Day) is the first day of spring and spring is the season of generation and flourishing of the nature and the world. It is also the season of revival of man’s spirit. In view of this, spring has inspired artists, especially painters, to create their best drawings. The drawing of garden in spring by Iranian painters is called “miniature” by westerners. Iranian painters usually draw the spring garden like paradise. The picture of beautiful birds singing on trees and flowers is a common drawing among Iranian painters. Tall cypresses along flowers and blossoms are very common in these drawings. The fervor of liveliness, the sense of life and the freshness of spring have a high status among Iranian paintings.
Sofreh Haft Seen (Haft Seen Table Cloth or Spread) is the inseparable part of the Iranian traditions in Nowruz. It comprises seven items beginning with the letter S (Seen in Farsi). The memory of several people, who are sitting at the Haft Seen spread and waiting for the moment of turning the year, is a sweet memory among Iranians. This has been beautifully drawn by Hussein Sheikh. Hussein Sheikh was one of the last disciples of the renowned Iranian maestro, Kamal ul-Molk who was born in 1911. Then he learnt painting with Kamal ul-Molk and later on drew hundreds of nice pictures. He died in 1991. No doubt, the Haft Seen is one of his lasting legacies as it has beautifully gathered many symbols of Nowruz. It shows a family sitting round the Haft Seen spread and reading the special prayer for turning of the year. This drawing has depicted the hope in the eyes of those people.
In short, what we see in the drawings of the Iranian artists is the hope and emotional manifestations of Nowruz festivities and cooperation among human beings.
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