An Examination of the Hierarchies of Light and Color in the Views of Muslim Mystics and Iranian Painting (Case Study: The Miraj Nameh Manuscript of Mir Heydar, 840 AH)

Pourzarrin, Reza

doi:10.22034/hgj.2026.573711.1057

An Examination of the Hierarchies of Light and Color in the Views of Muslim Mystics and Iranian Painting (Case Study: The Miraj Nameh Manuscript of Mir Heydar, 840 AH)

Document Type : Original Article

Author

reza pourzarrin

Assistant Professor, Painting Department, Faculty of Visual Arts, Shiraz University of Arts, Shiraz, Iran

10.22034/hgj.2026.573711.1057

Abstract

Mystical thoughts have long held a special place in Iranian art and literature, such that the underlying foundation of the structured visual system in these works is rooted in profound mystical concepts. In other words, the creation of these works not only played a major role in elucidating Quranic and spiritual enlightening concepts of the Quran but also revealed the aesthetic potentials inherent in Iranian painting. Among these, one valuable visual example is Mir Haydar’s Miraj Nameh, in which essential artistic elements such as light and color have been used in a highly effective manner. The present study, aiming to comparatively examine the hierarchies of light and color in the views of Muslim mystics and to discover and analyze its visual language in the Mir Haydar Miraj Nama manuscript, has employed a descriptive-analytical case study approach along with library-based methods for data collection, thereby evaluating the influence of Islamic mystical teachings on the chromatic elements employed in this manuscript as well as the painter's purposeful and intentional use of color and light to narrate and convey the thematic content of the work. The findings of the present study indicate that: 1- Mir Haydar’s Miraj Nameh represents a complete instance of a religious and spiritual work that remains fully faithful and connected to the traditions of Iranian painting; 2- Color in Mir Haydar’s Miraj Nameh is employed symbolically and associated with sacred, cosmological, and mystical concepts; 3- The painter has deliberately used light and color in harmony with the narrative and thematic content of the work.

Keywords

Mir-Haydar&‌rsquo

s Miraj Nameh, Iranian painting, Islamic mysticism, light, color

Subjects

Visual Arts

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