Shah Mosque, Isfahan, Iran

Interior of the Dome at Shah Mosque, Isfahan, Iran

After the introduction of domes into then Islamic architectural designs by Arabs during the 7th century, domes appeared frequently in the architecture of mosques. The Persians had constructed such domes for centuries before, and some of the earliest known examples of large-scale domes in the World are found in Iran. So, the Safavid Muslims, who ruled from 1501 to 1722, borrowed heavily from pre-Islamic knowledge in dome-building, that is the use of squinches to create a transition from an octagonal structure, into a circular dome. To cover up these transition zones, the Persians built rich networks of stalactites. Thus, came also the introduction of this feature into Persian mosques.

Ali Banisadr

Paintings by Ali Banisadr

Ali Banisadr is an Iranian artist who creates astonishing large-scale paintings using his ability to express synesthesia. Giving that synesthesia is commonly referred as the ability to see sound, Banisadr manages to transfer the sound he hears using many details, symbolic references and a special blending of color.

The sound he portrays is not just music, although the parts of his large works easily communicate with the audience and build a premium captivating relationship with the viewer. The sound particles are spread across the canvas inferencing the tragical noise of bombing he had to witness while growing up in Teheran.

The subjects of his paintings are small worlds, collided together in a broad universe of collective experience. Those worlds are inhabited by colorful figures struggling to find inner peace, facing chaotic consequences of war, but still communicating with each other, sharing experiences and helping each other to find a way of coping with unsustainability. The universal message is to find a way to establish methods of hopeful existence, while the circumstances are questioning the faith in humanity.

Titles from Top to Bottom: “Fravashi”,2013; “The Lesser Lights”, 2014: “Foreign Lands”, 2015. All paintings are Oil on Linen.

Naqsh-e Rustam

Photographer Unknown, Naqsh-e Rustam

Naqsh-e Rustam is an ancient necropolis located about 12 km northwest of Persepolis, in Fars Province, Iran. It lies a few hundred meters from Naqsh-e Rajab.

The oldest relief at Naqsh-i Rustam is severely damaged and dates to c. 1000 BC. It depicts a faint image of a man with unusual head-gear and is thought to be Elamite in origin. The depiction is part of a larger mural, most of which was removed at the command of Bahram II. The man with the unusual cap gives the site its name, Naqsh-e Rostam, “Picture of Rostam”, because the relief was locally believed to be a depiction of the mythical hero Rostam.

Mohammad Reza Domiri Ganji

Mohammad Reza Domiri Ganji: Architecture Photography: Ceilings

Mohammad Reza Domiri Ganji is a 24 years old photographer and physics student from northern Iran, qho is interested in Panoramic and Architecture Photography. He has been taking photos for seven years, and have learned much through talking to other photographers, sharing his pictures and receiving feedback, and watching tutorials on the internet. Most of his phootographs pics cover a very wide angle of view, often showing an entire building in one shot. They are are also shot in a high dynamic range, emphasizing the use of light as a dynamic element. He always try to to illustrate the stunning features of the buildings along with the details in architecture photography with artistic viewpoints.

The artist site with images for sale can be found at : Mohammad Reza Domiri Ganji

Alireza Saadatmand

Alireza Saadatmand, “Soil of Road”, 2010, Oil on canvas, 50 x 50 cm, The Islamic Arts Museum, Malaysia

Ali Reza Saadatmand is a painter, calligraphist, photographer from Iran. In pursuit of achieving a new and contemporary expression, he has benefited
from old calligraphies and plain symbolic forms. His intent is not to recreate the past but to show humans in contrast with tradition and modernity, This sometimes leads him to abstraction and symbolic forms.

He has never considered handwriting as a decorative element. Every time he
works with it, he finds new compositions which are rooted in the 1000 years
of his fore-fathers tradition but which simultaneously face the future. In his mind Saadatmand analyzes the appearance of the words and creates abstract, personal and aesthetic forms extracted from the patterns,