Explicating the Calligraphic Conventions in Tiraz Fabrics from the First to the Eighth Century AH in Iran

Introduction: The advent of Islam in Iran brought about a profound transformation in Iranian thought and art, reshaping pre-Islamic values and themes. Being a remarkable innovation in this period, textile production incorporating calligraphic motifs—particularly tiraz fabrics adorned with embroidered inscriptions—attained a distinguished status. Moreover, calligraphy, and especially the Kufic script, played a pivotal role in the artistic expression of the era. The present study aims to analyze and classify the calligraphic patterns found in tiraz textiles and to examine the characteristics of their underlying calligraphic conventions. The central research question addresses how key calligraphic components—namely proportion (nesbat), baseline alignment (korsi), black and white balance (savad va bayāz), and composition (tarkib)—were manifested in tiraz fabrics produced in Iran from the ۱st to the ۸th century AH.Research Method: The study employs a descriptive-analytical method grounded in the examination of museum artifacts through a library-based approach. The research population comprised ۱۱۰ extant textile samples, of which ۱۵ were selected for detailed analysis in the current study.Findings: The Kufic inscriptions featured in the textiles under study were examined with respect to the four components of proportion, baseline alignment, black-white balance, and composition. The analysis revealed that, concerning letter proportions, most inscriptions did not adhere to strict formal regulations, while greater consistency in baseline alignment was observed in the first and fourth script lines. Moreover, most inscriptions exhibited a discernible degree of regularity in terms of black-white balance and overall compositional structure.Conclusion: The findings indicate that among the studied components, composition and proportion respectively demonstrate the highest and lowest levels of adherence to classical calligraphic conventions. Despite noticeable variation in letter proportions, the inscriptions maintain an overall sense of balance and harmony.

کلیدواژه ها:

Islamic Textiles ، Tiraz ، Calligraphic Motifs ، Textile Weaving in Islamic Iran ، Kufic Inscriptions