Historical Assessment and Technical and Artistic Study of Imamzadeh Mahrouq Wooden Box in Neishabour City and the Door of the Tomb of the Qotbuddin Heidar Zaveyi in Torbat Heidarieh City

Great Khorasan took many cities from Ghaznin to Bastam and from Amoy to Sistan. The two cities of Zaveh and Neishabour, in which the works studied in this essay are based, were also very prosperous during that time. Zaveh Mausoleum Monuments became famous in the 7th century of Hijri due to the position and residence of Sheikh Heidar. The Heidarieh Dervish sect is attributed to him. Sheikh Heider was alive when the Mongols came in 617 AH and later became known as Sheikh Qotbuddin. In Neishabour, the tomb of Imamzadeh Mohammad Mahrouq has been and still is the home of many pilgrims. The building of these ancestors has had additions, repairs and decorations in different periods. What are discussed in this article is the wooden wall of Sheikh Heider Zaveyi's tomb and the wooden box of Imamzadeh’s shrine. According to the investigations, the studied works do not have a construction date. The purpose of the article is to evaluate the history and technical and artistic features of the box of the Imamzadeh Mahrouq in Neishabour and the door of the tomb of Qotbuddin Heidar Zaveyi in Torbat Heidarieh. The motifs and inscriptions of the works were examined and to determine the historical period; they have been adapted to the architectural decorations of places and important works of the Ilkhanid period, such as the Soltanieh building, the Shahnameh of Abu Said, and the Qurans. Therefore, it is looking for an answer to the question that the tomb of Sheikh Qotbuddin Heider Zaveyi and the wooden chest of Imamzadeh Mahrouq belong to which historical period and what technical and artistic characteristics do they have? The method of research is fundamental in terms of its purpose, and it is descriptive, analytical and historical in terms of its nature and research method. In this regard, the features of Iran's woodcarving design and patterns have been briefly stated. Also, the technical and artistic characteristics of the mentioned works, as well as their content, have been analyzed and it has been completed by visually comparing them with the works of the Ilkhanid period and its historical assessment. The method of collecting information is in the form of field research and library studies. The images of the artworks are photographed by authors, and the motifs of the artworks are drawn, using CorelDRAW software.
Results show the art of woodcarving was beautifully done during this period, and the artists of that period, with devotion to the religion and verses of the Quran, created beautiful and delicate inscriptions on wooden works of that period with Thuluth and Kufic scripts. The position of the geometric nodes is undeniable and beautifully adorned the woodworks. The Toranji frames and plant motives, which are considered as motifs that belong to this era, shine brightly. Three-leaf flowers, Arabesque patterns which end with a three-leaf flower, plant motifs and ornamental elements such as multi-leaf flowers, leaves, arabesque, twisted plants, designed the work beautifully and firmly. In this study, first, the general outlines, principles and theoretical definitions of the research, then the historical, social, cultural, religious and political situation of the Mongols in the Ilkhanate era and later exclusively the situation of the Great Khorasan and the two cities of Neishabour and Torbat Heidarieh are discussed. Consequently, the woodworks studied in this research (The wooden door of the Qotbuddin Heidar Zaveyi tomb and the wooden box of Imamzadeh Mahrouq) have been discussed in terms of their design and inscriptions, and after being compared to architectural motifs of historical sites such as Soltanieh mosque, the Shahnameh of Abu Said, and Ilkhanate Qurans, the historical period of two woodworks was identified as the Ilkhanate period.