Significance of Epigraphy in the Islamic Architecture Emphasized on the Epigraphies in Enghelab Courtyard of Imam Reza Shrine

Abstract

The Imam Reza shrine is a kind of museum with varieties of Islamic arts. In this museum the art masterpieces are related to different historical periods. The age of this great museum is more than thirteen centuries. This is a well-known museum because of the valuable position of the holy shrine of ‘Alī ibn Mūsā ar-Riḍā. There are too much epigraphies around this place. These epigraphies have been repaired by the consideration to their history. There are too many epigraphies from Timurid Empire in the Enghelab Courtyard of Haram. Another name of this courtyard is ancient courtyard. These epigraphies indicate the social conditions of each period. The current research is descriptive-analytic. Library studies and also field studies were used in this research. The findings of this research indicate that epigraphy in the Islamic architecture has an effective role in order to create the spiritualty spirit within the building. This kind of art is derived from the spiritual essence of Holy Quran. Therefore, the purpose of epigraphy in the holy shrine of ‘Alī ibn Mūsā ar-Riḍā is creation of spiritual communication between God and man. The recent studies show that most of the epigraphies are derived from Safavid era. Most of their concepts are related to the religious contexts.