واکاوی ساختارشناسانه مجموعه درب‌های چوبی موزه حضرت معصومه (س)

The Hazrat Masoumeh Museum, located adjacent to significant religious shrines, occupies a critical position in the preservation and exhibition of Iran’s historical and cultural heritage. The museum’s collection encompasses a diverse array of artifacts, including manuscripts, ceramics, wooden objects, and various forms of decorative arts originating from multiple historical periods. Among these, the wooden artifacts—specifically eight doors and a wooden sarcophagus—are distinguished by their intricate ornamentation and sophisticated compositional structures. The decorative motifs on these objects include geometric patterns, calligraphic inscriptions, arabesque (eslimi), and floral (khatayi) designs. These motifs are realized through an array of specialized techniques such as carving, marquetry, inlay, Jovavk, latticework (gerehchini), and engraving, which collectively exemplify the high level of craftsmanship characteristic of Iranian-Islamic art traditions. This study undertakes a formal and technical analysis of the aforementioned wooden doors and sarcophagus from the Hazrat Masoumeh Museum collection, with the primary objective of classifying the motifs and execution techniques and elucidating the underlying principles governing their design. The impetus for this research stems from the necessity to introduce and critically examine the wooden artifacts preserved within the museum, with particular attention to their artistic, cultural, and religious significance. The research question guiding this inquiry concerns the foundational logic underpinning the selection and application of motifs and techniques in the design of these doors. Methodologically, the study adopts a fundamental descriptive-analytical approach, supplemented by documentary research and field investigation to collect comprehensive data. The wooden doors are conceptualized as living documents that embody the intersection of structural form, symbolic meaning, and religious ideology within Islamic art. This research contributes novel insights by applying a structuralist framework to the analysis of the museum’s wooden doors, emphasizing the interrelation of form, technique, and meaning in these artifacts. Through a structural and comparative analytical lens, the study identifies and explicates the aesthetic and semantic paradigms inherent in the wooden works. It further investigates shared workshop traditions and artisanal lineages in the production of religious doors during the Safavid and Qajar periods, thereby situating these artifacts within broader historical and cultural contexts. The analysis reveals that the design of form, the execution of technique, and the selection of inscribed themes are undertaken with systematic intentionality, reflecting a coherent integration of visual and semantic elements. This coherence manifests not only at an aesthetic level but also at a semantic and theological dimension, underscoring the sacred conceptualization of religious spaces and their ornamentation. The doors are characterized by a sophisticated interplay of artistic finesse and layered symbolic content. The inscriptions predominantly comprise Quranic verses and religious themes such as Ashura poetry, pilgrimage supplications, divine mercy, paradise, resurrection, the names and attributes of God, and the names of the Twelve Imams. Additional inscriptions include the names of craftsmen, patrons, calligraphers, and Safavid monarchs, situating the objects within a network of historical agency. Geographically, most doors were produced in prominent artistic centers such as Isfahan and Shiraz. Technically, doors numbered 1, 2, and 7 prominently feature carved wood techniques, which are also applied in the inscriptions on door 5 and the sarcophagus of Shah Safi. In contrast, other doors utilize marquetry techniques, incorporating white bone inlays against ebony backgrounds. The formal and technical affinities among these doors and comparable artifacts in other religious contexts suggest the emergence of distinct workshop traditions or artistic schools dedicated to the production of religious doors during the Safavid and Qajar eras. The study’s findings underscore the symbolic and functional significance of these doors within the spatial and ritual organization of sacred environments. By integrating structural, semantic, and cultural-religious analyses, this research transcends mere descriptive accounts, providing a nuanced understanding of the doors as complex semiotic systems integral to the architectural and spiritual fabric of Islamic sacred spaces.