http://www.jaco-sj.com/ Journal of Art and Civilization of the Orient en daily 1 Mon, 22 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0330 Mon, 22 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0330 http://www.jaco-sj.com/article_246555.html Iran is, first and foremost, a name; yet there exists a profound reality to which this name refers. This reality- its name invoked more than eight hundred times in the Shahnameh- has repeatedly fallen prey to foreign invasions over the course of many centuries. Nonetheless, despite political crises and ruptures, continuity has been preserved within the cultural strata of this land-a continuity of essence that, though quiet and gradual, has always been characterized by the accumulation of experience and the transmission of knowledge across generations. One of the most significant arenas for observing this continuity is the history of space in Iran. In the Iranian tradition, a building was never merely a structural volume, a garden was not simply a green space, and a city was not just a collection of physical elements. These three, in truth, constitute different scales of a shared logic-a logic founded upon meaning, geometric order, water engineering, the precise relationship between the built environment and the natural landscape, and the rational organization of collective life. In Iranian architecture, one can discern a clear trajectory of transmission, refinement, and evolution of technical knowledge. Fundamental archetypes that emerged in pre-Islamic eras did not perish in subsequent periods; rather, they expanded into new paradigms. The evolution of the iwan, the progression of spatial roofing systems, the advancement of dome-construction techniques, and the increasing complexity of the relationship between structure and ornament all demonstrate that Iranian architecture has adhered to a logic of accumulation and progression. This progress cannot be observed solely in architectural construction. The very principles operating at the scale of the individual building persist at the urban scale, albeit in an expanded dimension. Throughout history, the Iranian city has existed as an interwoven structure of the bazaar, the congregational mosque (masjid-e jame), the public square (meydan), the neighborhood (mahalleh), the citadel (arg), the garden, and the street network. These elements did not take shape haphazardly, but rather within a sustainable order tailored to climate, economy, and civic life. Despite periodic destruction or decline, historical Iranian cities have generally managed to preserve this internal logic and reorganize themselves at a higher level of complexity in subsequent eras. In Safavid Isfahan, the integration of the square, bazaar, palace, boulevard, and neighborhoods achieved a level of cohesion that demonstrates the Iranian city did not develop from a tabula rasa, but rather evolved through the accumulation of long-standing experiences. By the same token, Iranian urban planning must be understood as an extension of the same tradition present in both architecture and garden design. From the perspective of architectural and urban history, Iranian civilization cannot be conceptualized under the paradigm of the “short-term society” . Spatial evidence demonstrates that historical evolution in Iran has principally transpired through the absorption, reorganization, and expansion of prior achievements, rather than their wholesale negation and recurrent cycles of starting from scratch. Were a society to be truly “short-term,” one would expect to observe perpetual ruptures in the transmission of knowledge, the rapid decay of spatial archetypes, and an inability to accumulate technical experiences. Conversely, in Iranian history, from the organization of the garden and water engineering to the integration of the bazaar, mosque, square, and neighborhood in the city, as well as the gradual evolution of structural techniques in architecture, a long-term and cumulative continuity is clearly manifest. This continuity demonstrates that the spatial memory of Iran has operated far beyond an unstable, transient logic; rather than being explained by the concept of rupture, it is best understood through the logic of historical continuity and civilizational accumulation. Based on such an understanding, contemporary pressures and incursions must also be viewed as events within a much longer historical context, wherein Iran has repeatedly succeeded in reorganizing and reproducing its internal capacities within new frameworks. http://www.jaco-sj.com/article_240983.html The emergence of visual modernity in Qajar Iran has often been explained in historical and art-historical scholarship as the result of a direct encounter between Iran and European aesthetic concepts. However, a comparative examination of the routes through which these concepts travelled reveals that the decisive mediating role of the Ottoman Empire, acting as an active cultural filter and an initial locus of localization, has largely been overlooked. The central problem addressed in this study concerns the actual trajectory through which visual modernity took shape in Iran and the factors that enabled the formation of a distinctive, multilayered version of modernity during the Qajar period. Accordingly, the study assumes that visual modernity in Iran was not the outcome of direct transmission from Europe but the result of a circulation of visual concepts from Europe to the Ottoman Empire and subsequently to Iran, during which the Ottomans functioned as agents of adaptation, refinement, and cultural alignment with the Islamic world. This research aims to reconstruct this multi-stage trajectory and to explain how modern visual concepts were reinterpreted within the Shiʿi tradition, courtly structures, and Iranian aesthetic sensibilities. Employing a descriptive-analytical method based on documentary study, comparative visual analysis, and the examination of cultural transfer networks, the findings indicate that European artistic concepts were first tested and adapted in Ottoman artistic institutions before being transferred to Iran in a culturally modified form. Iran, in turn, re-localized these adapted concepts by integrating them with its own traditional, religious, and aesthetic frameworks, thereby producing the hybrid visual styles characteristic of Qajar art. Ultimately, the study concludes that Qajar visual modernity was neither a mere imitation of the West nor a rupture with tradition, but the outcome of a multilayered process of conceptual circulation and creative localization within an inter-civilizational sphere linking Europe, the Ottoman Empire, and Iran. http://www.jaco-sj.com/article_239435.html Audience studies remain one of the most challenging fields within theatrical theory. Despite the expansion of this field in recent decades and the sustained efforts of contemporary theorists to redefine the role of the audience in the performance process, a significant portion of classical Eastern approaches has received comparatively limited attention in cross-cultural and comparative scholarship. The present study aims to examine the concept of the autopoietic feedback loop in Erika Fischer-Lichte’s aesthetics of performance and to compare it with audience-oriented communicative models articulated in major theoretical texts of classical Eastern theatre—namely the Nāṭyaśāstra (attributed to Bharata Muni) and the treatises of Zeami Motokiyo, including Fūshikaden and Kakyo. The central question of this article is to identify the points of convergence and divergence between the communicative approaches proposed by Bharata and Zeami, and Fischer-Lichte’s concept of the autopoietic feedback loop. This qualitative study adopts a descriptive–analytical methodology and examines the three fundamental components of the autopoietic feedback loop—reversal of roles, community formation, and touch—in relation to audience-centered approaches in Indian Sanskrit theatre and Japanese Nō theatre. The findings reveal deep affinities among these theatrical systems, particularly in their shared emphasis on live, community-forming interaction between performers and spectators. At the same time, notable cultural differences emerge: while Eastern traditions foreground inner transformation and the spiritual dimension of performance, Fischer-Lichte’s framework focuses on the ephemeral, unpredictable, and processual nature of performative interaction.By bringing these distinct theatrical systems into dialogue, the study facilitates a convergent exchange between Eastern and Western traditions and opens a new horizon for rethinking performer–audience interaction within a global context of theatre studies. http://www.jaco-sj.com/article_246607.html This article examines the representation of Iranian national identity in cultural heritage from the first to fifth centuries AH, with a particular focus on the roots, mechanisms, and historical continuity of archaic (pre-Islamic) nationalism in Iran. The study aims to explain how Iranian national identity was formed and reproduced through culture, myths, language, and symbols, and to clarify the role of cultural heritage in consolidating this identity in opposition to the “Arab Other.” The research adopts Michel Foucault’s discourse analytic approach to uncover the underlying configurations of knowledge, power, and subjectivity in their historical context and to trace the structure and persistence of cultural nationalism. In parallel, an ethnosymbolist perspective is employed to conceptualize the contribution of symbols, myths, and rituals to the formation and stabilization of this nationalist discourse. The findings demonstrate that Iranian national identity cannot be reduced to a byproduct of modern state building or Western influence but emerges from a long-term, cumulative process embedded in the cultural memory and historical experience of Iran. Texts such as Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, together with Islamic period textiles and other artistic and cultural artefacts, function as key media for rearticulating ancient myths and histories and for reinforcing collective memory. The analysis suggests that archaic Iranian nationalism is deeply rooted in historical tradition and collective memory and is characterized by a predominantly cultural, spiritual, and symbolic orientation that is continuously reproduced through artistic and cultural creativity. Overall, the article underscores the value of a historical cultural lens on Iranian nationalism and highlights the central role of cultural heritage in shaping and transmitting national self-consciousness. http://www.jaco-sj.com/article_245802.html Music is considered not only as an art but also as a cognitive and cultural system with an ancient history, and Iran, as one of the centers of Eastern civilization, has played a fundamental role in the formation and transmission of musical knowledge. In the contemporary period, with the introduction of theoretical concepts of Western music into the Iranian educational system, some of the specialized vocabulary of this art has undergone transformation, and the coexistence of two different linguistic areas, namely vocabulary derived from old sources and terms derived from European languages, is seen in contemporary Iran’s musical literature. The main question of the research is whether the introduction of these new terms has been accompanied by some kind of conceptual and semantic transformation. And the secondary question is whether Iranian musicians have adapted them to the lexical structure of the Persian language in the direction of East-West civilizational interaction? The present study, with an interdisciplinary approach, examines the path of evolution and integration of some important musical terms in the educational sources and scientific discourse of Iranian musicians in the contemporary period and will consider some historical sources to reveal East-West civilizational interaction in contemporary Iran’s musical literature and the role of musical vocabulary as an indicator of the dynamism of Iranian civilization in the face of Western-influenced musical modernity. In this path, the method of historical study of sources, extraction of frequent words, discourse analysis of concepts, and examination of linguistic power relations based on the theoretical frameworks of Bourdieu, Barthes, and Agawu are used to examine both the historical layers and the cultural-civilizational implications of words. Finally, it will be clear that the musical terms of contemporary Iran provide an example of multicultural life and creative digestion of Western civilization in the context of this Eastern civilization. http://www.jaco-sj.com/article_242611.html The present study aims to propose a framework for the classification, nomenclature, and analysis of various types of Javāb-e Āvāz, as one of the two fundamental components of the säz-o-āvāz form in Iranian classical music. Since no systematic research has yet been conducted to formulate a methodical approach in this field, the authors, recognizing the necessity of addressing this subject, employed thematic analysis to conduct a detailed examination of the different layers of säz-o-āvāz, particularly the Javāb-e Āvāz, and to identify the relationships emerging within both theoretical and practical domains. In this regard, the theoretical framework of the research was founded on the concept of defamiliarization; accordingly, various types of Javāb-e Āvāz were examined as devices aimed at disrupting auditory expectations and foregrounding the musical language. The säz-o-āvāz pieces in the album Nawā: Morakkab-Khāni, a comprehensive and precise model for the typology of Javāb-e Āvāzs, were selected as the case study, as they fulfill the requirements of this research in line with its scientific and practical objectives. Situated within the constructivist-interpretivist paradigm, this study adopted a formalist approach, falling under the category of analytical case study research. Data collection was based on library documents, and sampling was conducted using criterion-based sampling. As a result, the classification derived from this analysis, as proposed by the authors, was as follows: 1- defamiliarization in Javāb-e Āvāz dependent on the modal factor: Mod-Pardāz and Mod-Gardān; 2- defamiliarization in Javāb-e Āvāz dependent on the factor of musical meters: Mowzun and Nime-mowzun; 3- defamiliarization in Javāb-e Āvāz based on formal literary patterns: Vāj-ārā, Mostazādi, and Talmiḥi-Tażmini; and 4- defamiliarization in Javāb-e Āvāz based on distancing from the vocal line: Doragāh/Chandragāh. The proposed classifications in this study can contribute to a more precise understanding of the performative structures in säz-o-āvāz accompaniments in Iranian classical music and pave the way for future research in this field. http://www.jaco-sj.com/article_242610.html Coffeehouse painting, as an independent stream of Iranian popular art, is a manifestation of self-taught artistic practice and reflects the cultural and religious identity of its society. Despite numerous studies on the history and themes of this tradition, the components of self-taught expression within its visual structure have received comparatively limited scholarly attention. This study aims to identify and systematically analyze the components of self-taught expression in coffeehouse paintings in the Qajar Period, in order to achieve a deeper understanding of the artistic and cultural characteristics of this tradition. This research adopts a descriptive-analytical and developmental approach. The sample works were purposively selected from four prominent coffeehouse painters to encompass a diversity of religious, epic, and folkloric themes. The methodological framework combines content analysis, case study, and hermeneutic interpretation. Data were analyzed qualitatively, leading to the extraction of key components of self-taught expression. These include: departure from realism, simultaneous narrative composition, the use of intense, high-chroma colors, shifting viewpoints, and the absence of classical proportions. The components were then organized into a structured analytical table. The analysis reveals that coffeehouse painters, relying on lived experience and individual creativity, deviated from classical rules of perspective and proportion. Instead, they employed a hierarchical perspective and expressive approaches. The concurrent presence of multiple narratives, shifting viewpoints, the symbolic and exaggerated use of color and light, and the disregard for natural anatomical and spatial proportions all signify a departure from realism and a distinct tendency toward vivid, high-chroma palettes. http://www.jaco-sj.com/article_246727.html Globalization is a phenomenon referring to the expansion of communication among societies across the world, which has increasingly attracted attention since the twentieth century. In this regard, the present study seeks to examine the characteristics of globalization in the works of Otto Piene. The research aims to achieve a deeper understanding of his artworks in relation to the indicators of globalization. The main question of this study is: In what ways are the components and characteristics of globalization reflected in Otto Piene’s works? The research adopted a descriptive-analytical method, and data were collected through library and online sources. Although globalization is not a newly emerged phenomenon, awareness of and attention to it significantly increased during the twentieth century. In this context, factors such as cultural hybridity and the possibility of cosmopolitanism can be noted as elements that have accelerated the process of globalization. The findings indicate that Otto Piene, while remaining committed to his national culture and drawing upon local roots, expands his artistic vision beyond geographical boundaries to engage with universal and human concerns. This approach enables a meaningful reading of his works through the lens of globalization. From various aspects such as presentation methods, choice of materials, and the use of elements like the rainbow, sky, fire, and smoke, Piene’s art embodies key components of globalization. Moreover, alongside this global outlook, national identity also plays a significant role in both the form and content of his artworks, reflecting his personal experience of his homeland. http://www.jaco-sj.com/article_243066.html Calligraphy in Islamic Funerary Architecture: Discourse Analysis of Memory, Space, and LegitimacyAbstractProblem: Calligraphy in Islamic architecture goes beyond mere decoration and functions as a visual language that consolidates cultural memory, reinforces political–religious legitimacy, and organizes meaning within ritual spaces. However, in the context of funerary architecture, the systematic relationship of calligraphy with collective memory, identity, and legitimacy has rarely been analyzed in an interdisciplinary and interpretive framework. This gap highlights the necessity of a renewed study.Purpose: This research, focusing on Islamic funerary architecture, seeks to demonstrate how inscriptions transcend aesthetics and transform into spatial–discursive texts. The main objective is to explain the role of calligraphy in consolidating cultural memory, structuring the discursive order of space, and legitimizing political and social authority.Method: The study adopts a qualitative–interpretive approach using “visual–spatial discourse analysis.” Data consist of inscription texts, architectural documentation, and visual records from three exemplary cases: the Dome of Soltaniyeh (Ilkhanid, 14th century), Gur-e Amir in Samarkand (Timurid, 15th century), and the Mausoleum of Rumi in Konya (Seljuk–Ottoman). The theoretical framework is built upon cultural memory (Halbwachs, Assmann, Nora), the discourse of space and power (Foucault, Lefebvre), and symbolic capital (Bourdieu).Findings: Results indicate that funerary calligraphy operates on three interconnected levels: (1) in Soltaniyeh, inscriptions in thuluth and naskh scripts consolidated the Ilkhanid Shiʿi identity; (2) in Gur-e Amir, moral–religious inscriptions legitimized Timurid political power; and (3) in the Mausoleum of Rumi, calligraphy as a mystical symbol reinforced the symbolic capital of the Mevlevi order. Thus, calligraphy functions not only as an artistic element but also as a social and discursive medium in shaping identity and legitimacy within Islamic architecture. http://www.jaco-sj.com/article_246455.html AbstractSeyyed Hossein Nasr, within the framework of Traditionalism and the Perennial Philosophy, considers traditional art as a manifestation of the Sacred and interprets music as a reflection of cosmic order. In this view, the Renaissance marks a decisive rupture in which the sacred worldview gradually gives way to anthropocentrism, leading to the dominance of modern art (post-Renaissance art). Nasr’s theory offers one of the most coherent metaphysical accounts of art in contemporary philosophy and has significantly influenced discussions on Islamic art and sacred music. This study critically examines Nasr’s conception of music across three interconnected levels: (1) the ontological foundation of sacredness, (2) the historical formulation of the Renaissance rupture, and (3) the musicological criteria for distinguishing sacred music from other musical forms. Drawing on Nasr’s primary works, his response to Eliot Deutsch, and relevant scholarship in art history and musicology, the article argues that while Nasr’s metaphysical premises exhibit internal coherence, tensions emerge when these premises are applied historically and analytically. The analysis demonstrates that the transhistorical (ontological) nature of sacredness in Nasr’s framework stands in a complex relation to its historically conditioned manifestation. Furthermore, the criteria for identifying sacred music—whether structural, intentional, or liturgical—require clearer theoretical articulation. Rather than rejecting Nasr’s project, this study proposes that a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between metaphysics, historical change, and artistic form could strengthen the explanatory power of Traditionalist aesthetics. http://www.jaco-sj.com/article_247422.html Title: Mimetic Cosmology and the Virtuous City in the Symphony Orchestra: A Philosophical Reading of al-FarabiAbstract :This article reinterprets the symphony orchestra through the aesthetic, metaphysical, and political thought of Abu Nasr al-Farabi. Using a descriptive-analytical method grounded in close reading of primary sources, the study argues that the orchestra constitutes a tangible mimetic representation of al-Farabi's cosmological and political order.A profound correspondence emerges between orchestral organization and Farabian metaphysics. The hierarchical arrangement of instrumental sections mirrors the gradation of being, while the conductor embodies the "First Ruler" (al-Ra'īs al-Awwal), whose qualities unite intellectual perfection with ethical leadership. Just as the First Ruler makes intelligible truths accessible to the community, the conductor translates abstract musical structures into coordinated performance.Within this framework, orchestral music becomes an imaginative art (ṣināʿa takhayyuliyya) that conveys intelligible meanings through sensory experience. The musician is a responsible citizen whose discipline contributes to collective harmony. Rehearsal processes—repetition, correction, synchronization—embody the cultivation of virtue, echoing al-Farabi's emphasis on habituation.The study also explores metaphysical analogies: the instrument is matter (hayūlā) and sound its form (ṣūra). The four classical elements correspond to the four orchestral families, suggesting a symbolic link between natural philosophy and musical taxonomy.Al-Farabi's typology of cities is then mapped onto orchestral practices. The virtuous city (al-Madīna al-Fāḍila) contrasts with deficient forms. An orchestra focused only on technical execution resembles the "necessary city"; one driven by profit reflects the "base" city; a disorganized ensemble mirrors the "democratic" or chaotic city. In each case, integrity depends on rational order and cooperative harmony.Justice—defined as the proper function of each part within an integrated whole—parallels the calibration of dynamics and timing. Aesthetic harmony and ethical order thus become mutually reinforcing. The tension between individual and collective excellence also finds an analogue: a highly skilled musician in a poor ensemble disrupts overall balance.The study concludes that a professional symphony orchestra at its highest level is a microcosm of the virtuous city, where justice is harmonic balance and happiness (saʿāda) is the perfection of sound within a coordinated totality. This establishes a systematic correspondence between philosophy, music, and social organization. http://www.jaco-sj.com/article_247423.html In the Western philosophy of music, Peter Kivy's contour theory has emphasized the structural resemblance between sonic patterns and the motor-emotional patterns of the human body, and considered literal representation of abstract concepts to be possible only through cultural convention. On the other hand, Ruhollāh Khāleqi, in his works, had described the dastgāh of Chahargāh as an epic, progressive system carrying attributes such as courage, without these claims having been systematically examined within a philosophical analytical framework. Accordingly, the present study sought to fill this epistemological gap by raising the central question: to what extent, based on Kivy's contour theory and enhanced formalism, can Khāleqi's representationalist views on Chahargāh be analyzed, confirmed, or criticized? The main aim was to achieve a more precise understanding of the relationship between representation and expressivity in Iranian dastgāh music and to test the cross cultural limits of Kivy's theory. The necessity of the research arose from the fact that no previous study had directly engaged analytical philosophy of music with indigenous theories of representation in the Persian tradition, and Khāleqi's perspective had remained without theoretical formulation at the level of contemporary debates in the philosophy of music. The research method was qualitative, of an analytical critical type, with documentary data collection, and the case study focused on the dastgāh of Chahargāh and Khāleqi's views. The findings showed that the ascending contours of the darāmad of Chahargāh and the tension of augmented intervals in the mokhālef section create a limited structural resemblance to the motor patterns of epic and courage. However, the major part of Khāleqi's epic attribution, personification (the "perfect human"), and mystical nationalist ascription lies beyond the boundaries of Kivy's enhanced formalism and is mainly rooted in cultural conventions, performative contexts, and the historical use of Chahargāh in zurkhānehs and Shahnameh recitations. The conclusion determined that Kivy's theory provides a useful framework for the formal layer, but is insufficient for explaining the phenomenon of hāl (present moment mood/state) in Iranian music that has intervals different from Western music and is improvisation centered; this insufficiency highlights the necessity of developing an intercultural philosophy of music. http://www.jaco-sj.com/article_248095.html In the art of landscape painting in China, as in many other forms of arts, one always finds Daoist roots more apparent than the influences from Confucian or Buddhist traditions. The most fundamental subject matter that elucidates the Daoist origin of this art in China lies in the attitude of Chinese painters toward “forms.” Despite numerous studies concerning the history and techniques of Chinese painting, it is very necessary to analyze ancient texts on the philosophy of painting based on Daoist teachings to understand how ideas manifest in forms and how one can transcend from forms to ideas. Investigating the link between the art of Chinese painting and Daoist metaphysics, this study seeks to answer how the treatise “Introduction to Landscape Painting” by Zong Bing (375–443 CE, a lay Buddhist practitioner) resolves the paradox between the limitation of forms and the transcendence of Dao as the Supreme Principle. The findings of this study show that Zong Bing, by proposing concepts such as “kindred resemblance” and relying on the “numinous spirit,” transforms landscape painting into a locus of manifestation for the “charm of the Dao.” Finally, it is elucidated that adhering to the principle of “correspondence with the eye and concordance with the heart” turns the artwork into a gateway that frees the heart-mind of the viewer who steps into it from the bounds of form and connects him to the celestial archetypes of forms. http://www.jaco-sj.com/article_248118.html Problem Statement:The graffiti of the 2010 Egyptian Revolution, as one of the most influential forms of street art in the Middle East, played a key role in representing the discourse of resistance. Despite the existence of historical and political studies on this event, there remains a research gap regarding the analysis of the internal mechanisms of meaning production within these artworks.Research Objective:This study aims to conduct a semiotic analysis of the graffiti of the Egyptian Revolution based on Algirdas Julien Greimas’s theory of the Generative Trajectory of Meaning and to examine how urban events are transformed into enduring semantic systems.Research Methodology:The research adopts a descriptive-analytical method with a qualitative approach. The samples were purposefully selected from prominent works by the artists Ganzeer, Keizer, “Without Walls” Campaign, and Alaa Awad. Greimas’s three-level model (surface structure, intermediate structure, and deep structure) was employed as the analytical framework. Following structural analysis, the data were organized within binary oppositions and actantial models.Findings:The findings demonstrate that meaning in these works is generated through a systematic semiotic process. At the surface level, visual oppositions such as war machines versus civilians are evident; at the intermediate level, narrative oppositions such as oppression versus resistance emerge; and at the deep level, fundamental oppositions such as power versus freedom or resistance versus submission play a central role. The analysis indicates that the graffiti, through the reinterpretation of ancient symbols and their combination with modern themes, contributed to reconstructing revolutionary identity and sustaining the discourse of resistance within public space.Conclusion:The semiotic analysis reveals that the graffiti of the Egyptian Revolution functioned as cultural texts that reconstructed the reality of the revolution through transformations across multiple semiotic levels. By employing the symbolic capacities of icons, the female body, and urban walls, these artworks succeeded in preserving collective memory against official narratives of power. Consequently, street art became a strategic instrument for political activism and the reassertion of citizenship agency. http://www.jaco-sj.com/article_248177.html Research Problem: The paintings of the Davari Shahnameh constitute one of the most distinguished instances of pictorial narrativity in Persian painting, in which epic and tragic concepts are represented through visual Components. Focusing on the painting The Killing of Iraj, the present study seeks to answer the following question: what are the visual components and features effective in the representation of the tragic event in this painting? How does the viewer comprehend the corresponding narrative through the visual representation of the tragic event?Research Method: The research data consist of textual and visual material gathered through library and documentary methods. The painting The Killing of Iraj has been examined through a descriptive-analytical method. The work has been described by drawing on Lessing’s theoretical discussion of the distinction between the representation of suffering and tragic pain in poetry and in painting, as well as on Rudolf Arnheim’s account of the visual components effective in directing the viewer’s gaze; the role of these Components in advancing the narrative has then been analyzed.Findings: The analysis of this image demonstrates the significance of spatial division, the topographical placement of figures/bodies, and -more importantly- the emphasis on gestures, bodily movement, attention to the color of garments, facial expressions, and, most crucially, the directional gaze of the figures toward one another. These very visual components play a prominent role in the comprehension of the temporality of the event and in advancing the narrative. In the image, time is fixed as a single, instantaneous moment; the painting effectively freezes a cross-section of the continuous flow of time within itself. Nevertheless, the comprehension of time in visual narrative is achieved not directly, but through the spatial organization of the image and the manner in which the figures are positioned within it.Results: The results of this study indicate that the image is not merely the representation of a single moment; rather, its visual forces, character oppositions, and directions of perception transform it into an interconnected network. This very network compels the viewer’s mind to reconstruct what precedes and what follows the event. Thus, the painting advances its narrative through visual forces and components organized around a pregnant moment. This research may provide a foundation for the study of visual narrative in other paintings from the same manuscript, as well as in other illustrated manuscripts of Persian literature. http://www.jaco-sj.com/article_248207.html The world of handmade carpets is a practical and symbolic art that is filled with Iranian and Islamic worldviews or a combination of them, and its creators have always strived to make it "unique and different" in its technical structure and aesthetic aspect. rasam arabzadeh is a contemporary carpet designer and weaver who, by breaking away from the framework, abandoning the principles and rules of handmade carpet design and weaving, and focusing on a new and minority-oriented approach, created works that are different from common carpets. this approach, i.e., the move towards small or specific production, which is a manifestation of the escape from the norms and principles of the majority in the tradition of design and production, is aligned with the French philosopher Gilles deleuze's literary criticism entitled "Minority literature and Deterritorialization.". in minority literature, the artist attempts to eliminate conventional territories and achieve becoming through territorialization and transcending specific ways of thinking. minority plays a central role in deleuze's perspective. in this article, rasam's carpets are examined, analyzed, and evaluated based on the approach of minority literature, with the aim of exploring this theory in the carpets of Rasam Arabzadeh and assessing the degree of their alignment and compliance with this theory. In this regard, the question posed is: what are the factors that drive the approach of minorityism and the concept of becoming, as well as instances of becoming and de-territorialization in rasam's carpets? Some of the findings of the research are as follows: based on his inner and essential modernism, arabzadeh, by creating works that differ from the traditional carpet design system and process, led the audience from the habit of understanding repetition to the conditions of creation. The design and weaving of arabzadeh rugs, in terms of the choice of form and content, and the composition and juxtaposition of pattern and color, have presented a clear manifestation of practical concepts in deleuze's philosophy, such as minorityism, deterritorialization, distinction and desire, and escape from representation, to the audience in these unique and distinctive handwovens. http://www.jaco-sj.com/article_250987.html This article investigates the philosophical role of proportion as a structural principle in two seemingly disparate domains of Islamic thought: the Qur’anic inheritance rulings in Sūrat al-Nisāʾ and Abū Naṣr al-Fārābī’s theory of musical interval consonance. Moving beyond superficial numerical coincidences, the study argues that both systems operate under a shared "logic of proportional rationality"—a mode of ordering that prioritises proportionate differentiation over arithmetic equality. Drawing on the Greek-Islamic philosophical tradition (Pythagoras, Plato, Aristotle, and al-Fārābī), the article establishes a tripartite analytical framework: (1) ratio as a mechanism for generating order, not merely measuring quantities; (2) the precedence of proportionality over uniformity, where justice and harmony arise from calibrated differences; and (3) unity in multiplicity, where diverse elements cohere through balanced interrelations. In the inheritance verses, fixed fractional shares (e.g., 1/2, 1/3, 1/6, 2:1 for male to female) constitute a legal network that distributes rights according to familial standing and financial responsibility, embodying distributive justice as proportional equity. In al-Fārābī’s Kitāb al-Mūsīqā al-Kabīr, consonance is mathematically grounded in simple ratios (2:1, 3:2, 4:3), where melodic and harmonic coherence emerges not from identical pitches but from their regulated dissimilarities. The comparative analysis reveals that despite fundamental differences in subject matter, purpose, and source of authority (revelation vs. philosophical inquiry), both systems exemplify a civilisational episteme in which proportion serves as the primary organising principle. This study contributes a methodological model for interdisciplinary research in Islamic sciences, demonstrating that concepts like proportion, moderation, and harmony can unveil the internal unity of diverse intellectual traditions. http://www.jaco-sj.com/article_252025.html From antiquity to the present, humanity’s sustained reflection on the afterlife and its attendant concerns has given rise to one of the most enduring narratives regarding humankind’s eschatological destiny. This narrative has been articulated across religious and ritual traditions in both textual and visual forms. The “Last Judgment” mural in Vank Cathedral, Isfahan—dating to the Safavid period and the premodern era of Islamic Iran—constitutes one such historical source, presenting a depiction of the Day of Resurrection grounded in Christian doctrine and its theological worldview. To read and interpret this visual narrative, the present study adopts a semiotic–semantic approach based on the Greimasian actantial discourse system. Through an analysis of the signs employed in this artistic work, the study seeks to elucidate the mechanisms of meaning production at play. The findings indicate that the signs—manifested through figures and other visual elements—assume diverse and multiple actantial roles within the mural’s discursive system. Through their interrelations and coordination, these signs collectively generate a semantic understanding of Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell, and by establishing visual and semantic unity across the overall structure of the artwork, they enable the reception and comprehension of a coherent narrative of the Day of Resurrection.