Investigating the Relationship between Decorations of Metal Containers related to Dust-cleaning Kept in the Astan Quds Razavi Museum and the Dust Clearing Ceremony

Metalworking is one of Iran’s most important traditional arts, used to make all kinds of tools and equipment. The shrine of Imam Reza (AS) in Mashhad is the only shrine of Shia imams in Iran, and service in this place is associated with various customs and traditions. One of the customs whose origin is still preserved is dust cleaning the shrine. The Dust Clearing Ceremony, apart from its unique customs, has been performed with tools that changed according to the requirements of the time. Many objects and tools related to this ceremony, such as Gulabdan and pitcher, have lost their practical value over time due to the constant use of new tools. They are kept in Astan Quds Museum owing to their sanctity and material and artistic value. The present study aimed to describe more precisely the functions and decorations of the dust-cleaning equipment of the Razavi Shrine in the Astan Quds Museum and to investigate the relationship between their decorations and the Dust Clearing Ceremony in the shrine.
This study seeks to answer the following questions:
1- What are the dust-cleaning tools available in the Astan Quds Razavi Museum, and what are their applications?
2- What patterns and inscriptions were used to decorate the mentioned objects?
3- What is the connection between the above decorations and the Dust-Clearing Ceremony of the Razavi holy shrine?
Importance and necessity of the issue: Although some studies have investigated and explained the Dust Clearing Ceremony, no independent research has been performed regarding the examination of dusting tools. Moreover, the relationship between decorations, form and shape, inscriptions, and even the creation of these works with the Dust Clearing Ceremony is unclear.
The research method is descriptive and analytical. Data were collected by field notes and direct observation to describe the works. At the same time, a library review of possible available sources, a review of documents available in libraries, museums, and the Astan Quds Razavi Document Center, and, if necessary, interviews were also used. The study group of this research includes dust-cleaning equipment in the Astan Quds Razavi Museum, which are 15 containers with the use of Gulabdan, Ewer, Basins, and Cups. To introduce each of these objects, various aspects of their construction, decoration, and endowment were examined by studying the characteristics of museum works. Then, while paying attention to the characteristics of the mentioned works, the identification and analysis around them were carried out with a more comprehensive look and a precise examination of the details of the images, and the works were examined in the two general topics of structure and decorations. The data analysis method is also based on qualitative findings.
The results show that the dust-cleaning equipment of the Razavi Shrine in the Astan Quds Razavi Museum includes 15 objects with the use of Gulabdan, Ewer, Basins, and Cups that span from the Timurid period to the modern era. The motifs used in these works include geometrical, plant, and animal motifs with themes such as nature, hunting ground, abstract and mythological ones, as well as inscriptions in Naskh, Thuluth Nastaliq, and Broken Nastaliq scripts. The contents of the inscriptions include endowments, Quranic verses, and supplications.
After a complete examination of the Dust-Clearing Ceremony from various aspects, such as prayers, elegies, and verses recited during the ceremony, the design and role of the clothing of the invited people, the connection with the architecture of the Razavi shrine or with the stories and history of Imam Reza (AS), the research pointed out that no relationship was observed between the patterns and decorations of the dust-cleaning tools and the process of performing the ceremony. The motifs used on the equipment were conventional and common in the relevant historical period, which were used in other works as well, and were not designed and used exclusively for the Razavi shrine. Also, it can be concluded that most of these objects were purchased or donated after construction and were not designed and produced for an endowment to Astan Quds Razavi from the beginning. Perhaps the only objects excluded from this rule are the steel Ewer of Feyzallah Shooshtari (picture 3) and the steel Ewer of Ibn Suleiman (picture 4) that Shah Sultan Hossein Safavi dedicated them. Other objects, either in terms of motifs’ types or inscriptions (content, strength of handwriting, and place of inscriptions), do not give a convincing reason to reject the opinion that the objects were purchased and dedicated after construction. On the other hand, the technique of making and decorating the works of the collection, despite their diversity, are not so impressive and extraordinary that they can be considered objects of mere artistic value. Consequently, the basic and main difference between these works and other similar works is their spiritual value as endowments for the shrine of Imam Reza (AS), not their forms or decorations.