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Reading the Aesthetic and Ethical Concept of the Supreme Being from the Perspective of Khwaja Nasir al-Din Tusi in the Historical Context of Ardabil (Case Study: Ardabil Bazaar)
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Marjan Hosseinzadeh Namadi1   , Tohid Hatami Khanghahi *2 |
1- Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Architecture, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran
2- Department of Architecture, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran , t_hatami@uma.ac.ir |
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Abstract: (6 Views) |
Background: The present study aims to investigate the concept of the “Supreme Being” in the thought of Khwaja Nasir al-Din Tusi and analyze its manifestation in the spatial and aesthetic organization of the Ardabil Bazaar. The main problem of the research is based on three theoretical, historical-cultural and methodological levels: At the theoretical level, an attempt has been made to extract a conceptual foundation equivalent to the Supreme Being in Islamic philosophy by relying on the philosophical texts of Khwaja Nasir - especially the Nasirian Ethics and the Basis of Quotation; At the historical-cultural level, the Ardabil Bazaar has been examined as a "sublime object" and a reflection of the cosmic and social order of the Safavid era; and at the methodological level, a model for reinterpreting the sublime in Islamic architecture has been presented through a combination of a hermeneutic approach (in understanding texts) and spatial analysis (in studying the body and perceptual experience of space).
Conclusion: The results of the study show that Khwaja Nasir introduces "transcendental quality" as a level of understanding beauty that, by passing through sensory and imaginary pleasure, leads to rational perception and intuition of existential unity. This quality is manifested in the architecture of the Ardabil Bazaar through specific spatial and perceptual elements: the gradual transition from darkness to light in the vestibules and domes of the Golshan Palace, the rhythmic repetition of arches and porches that create a kind of rational rhythm, and the symbolic connection of the bazaar path to the Sheikh Safi al-Din complex that reinforces the behavioral meaning of the space. These features have transformed the Ardabil Bazaar into a scene of “wonder and reflection” and placed it in the service of reproducing the moral and cultural order of Safavid society. Finally, the research proposes a three-dimensional model of “wonder, grandeur, and meaning-making” as indicators of the sublime in Islamic architecture. This model can be a basis for expanding the discussions of comparative aesthetics and reviewing the principles of preserving and reinterpreting the heritage of Iranian-Islamic architecture.
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| Keywords: Sublime, Aesthetics, Ethics, Khwaja Nasreddin Tusi, Iranian-Islamic Architecture |
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Full-Text [PDF 728 kb]
(7 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2025/12/5 | Accepted: 2026/02/5 | Published: 2026/09/1
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