Analysis and Explanation of Motifs and Proportions in the Wooden Altar of Abyaneh Jame Mosque

The history of wood use in Iran has a long history. Indigenous people of Iran have used wood a lot, such as for the construction of doors, windows, wooden columns, etc. This proves this. According to the surviving works, one of the areas where wood has been widely used in architecture is the historical village of Abyaneh near the city of Natanz. In fact, the use of wood and arts related to it, along with other factors, has made this village known and introduced as one of the important villages in the country's tourism discussion. In this regard, the main issue of the article is the existence of the only historical wooden altar in Iran inside the mosque of this village. The use of wood in the architecture of this village can be seen in the form of doors, wooden railings, lattice windows, ceilings, and columns as well as wooden porches. In general, the infrastructure of the mosque is about 1000 square meters. This mosque is rectangular and has two floors _ the basement and the ground floor. The columns inside the nave are made of wood; the walls are made of stone, mortar, and raw clay. Its roof is also supported by wooden pillars and surrounding walls. Inside the mosque, there are various historical wooden monuments; one of the most valuable of which is the wooden altar of the mosque in the basement. The mentioned altar has numerous decorations and inscriptions that have remained until today due to the structural and natural limitations of the wood material. The altar has decorations and carvings, as well as numerous inscriptions that have survived to this day. In fact, the purpose of this research is to introduce, to qualitatively examine (including a study of proportions and composition of motifs and methods of construction and decoration) and to conduct a content analysis of the altar inscriptions of Abyaneh Jame Mosque. For this purpose, all the designs and techniques used on the altar and its inscriptions have been read and studied. In this regard, 1- the techniques which have been used to construct and to decorate the wooden altar of this mosque 2- as well as the visual and thematic components of the proportions and inscriptions used in the said altar, are the questions that this research seeks to answer. The present research is written in an analytical-descriptive method and is considered a kind of developmental research. On this basis, after field surveys and imaging of the altar, library, and documentary studies were conducted. Then, according to this issue, a qualitative analysis and study of the designs, composition, construction techniques, and content of the existing inscriptions on the desired altar have been done and an attempt has been made to explain the data in the form of tables. Studying the various designs, techniques of decoration, composition, and inscriptions of the altar in question can be of great help in identifying historical wooden artifacts, especially rare artifacts such as the wooden altar. Actually, due to the lack of proper and adequate care and maintenance by the relevant authorities, the study of this wooden monument seems necessary.
Findings showed that the altar specifically belongs to the Seljuk period, Although in terms of variety, plant motifs are more numerous than other motifs, it seems that the maker has used geometric motifs to symbolically refer to God and the signs of creation. In other words, although in terms of diversity, plant motifs have more quantity compared to other motifs, it seems that the artist has symbolically referred to the Great God by using geometric motifs. The use of themes such as Ayat al-Kursi, as well as the Oneness of the One and Only, the titles of God, and the infallible Imams is a double emphasis on the otherworldly themes in these inscriptions. From the general form to most of the motifs used in the altar, they are designed and executed based on golden ratios and have geometric structures and relations. In the overall composition of the altar, motifs are in the form of independent factors that have created a coherent system through repetition. Meanwhile, the issue of symmetry, especially mirror symmetry, is very significant in the details of the motifs. These motifs are decorated with prominent embossing techniques and a slanted cutting style. Other construction techniques have been used in the altar, the connection of the crotch and the tongue and the frame and the plate, which are both among the oldest and the most reliable wooden connections. Also, considering the passage of 9 centuries from the date of construction of the altar, the hypothesis of having a continuous skeleton inside the wall can be proposed. Finally, the comparison of other wooden works of Abyaneh Mosque with its altar, in terms of motif, technique, and content can be a suitable field of study for future research.