چکیده:
The sacredness of plants among nations has led to the apparent and latent implications of these
elements in the arts and architecture of various nations. In ancient Persia, the impacts of plant
motifs can be seen in the architectural ornamentation, which is also prevalent in other nations.
Problem statement and research aim: The current study pursues to find the inherent concepts
of plant motifs used in the pre-Islamic Iran architecture and to understand the impacts of pre-
Islamic architecture on the architecture of Umayyad and Abbasid periods. In this regard, the
symbolic and mythological concepts of plants such as lotus flowers, acanthus, and various trees
such as palm and vine, which are commonly used in pre-Islamic Iranian architecture and Islamic
architecture, have been deeply scrutinized.
Research Method: This research aims at interpreting the perpetual influence of these plants
on the common beliefs and the architecture of the two aforementioned periods and it tries
to seek the reasons for conveyance of these motifs from pre-Islamic architecture to Islamic
era. Therefore, using the interdisciplinary study methodology, this study aims at comparing
the motifs of prominent pre-Islamic buildings of the Achaemenid period (Persepolis) and the
Sassanid period (Ctesiphon palace, Taq-e Bostan and Bishapur Palace) with those of Umayyad
period (such as Qobbat Al-Sakherah mosque, Al-Hayr palace, Al-Mshatta palace, and Kherbat
Al-Mafjar palace), and Abbasid period (including the Belkoura palace, Seymareh mosque
and Noh Gonbad mosque). After interpreting the buildings historically by referring to various
texts, the common implications of plant motifs were revealed and their manifestations in the
architecture of both historical periods are deeply analyzed and discussed.
Conclusion: The results show that the existence of noble concepts such as purity, clarity and
sacred force of life, knowledge and wisdom observed at plant motifs is the main reason for their
use in architecture, which convey the same implications in the architecture of both periods.
Moreover, it is deduced that the use of different motifs such as palmette (palm leaves), lotus
leaves in Al-Hayr palace and Kherbat al-mafjar palace, the vine leaves and grape clusters in
Qobbat Al-Sakhreh, as well as the triangular and circular forms in Al-Mshatta palace indicate the
presence of Iranian art and architecture in the architecture of Umayyad and Abbasid periods. In
addition, the geographical adjacency, believing in the same ideals, language, art and partnership
in the creation and instructions of scientific schools are other reasons for the conveyance of
motifs from Iranian architecture and culture to the Islamic architecture, especially Umayyad
and Abbasid periods.