semiotic of isfahan s takht-e foulad cemetery motifs (with emphasis on animal motifs of lion and fish

isfahan takht-e foulad cemetery is one of the oldest ancient places in iran. what makes this place special is not only because of the literati who rest in peace, but also because of the decoration and variety of the gravestones which itself is considered a valuable artistic treasure, and a narrator of the history and historical identity of people of that time. one of the most important and beautiful motifs is animal motif, which is proximity with plants and human motifs recreated the different symbolic meaning. one of these motifs is the animal motif of “lion” and “fish”. these two are indicate, alone or alongside other motifs, such as plant, human, object, etc. that carved on gravestones are not only for decorative aspect, but also for their particular role and position among human beliefs. through this ancient cemetery, the lion motif can be found in different forms of scoop, pit and sculpture; which for a long time have been occupied a particular position among human beliefs. in art and cultures of many nations “lion” is the symbol of courage, power, bravery, fire, sunlight, victory, airy living, kingdom and dominion, wisdom, pride, care, and protection. “fish” motif is another motif which can be found plentiful among the artworks before and after islam eras. this motif has been the image inside the pit as individual and collective in gravestones. besides the extraordinary beauty of the shapes, they include lots of direct and symbolic concepts that have caused, in various eras, artists, whether in iran or in other cultures to draw and create these motifs once again by adding meanings and concepts. over time, the usage of these motifs which have had religious and symbolic aspects has reduced and their symbolic meaning has been forgotten. today it is needed to pay more attention and do more deep study on semantic dimension of artworks than before because of weathering erosion and negligence of authorities. survey and investigation on symbolic and archetype meanings of these motifs need to be interpreted, paraphrased and referred to in several sources. the researchers have collected 600 samples of gravestones, and then have selected 150 of them for this study. the collecting method was based on historical study and combined method of descriptive, analytical and research methods that were used in literature study. in this review, the motif features have been analyzed from the perspective of semiotic, the upcoming result of which may help to decode part of this historical collection.  in decorative identification trend of this collection the species motifs have been classified according to shape of plant, human, animal and objects. in addition, the different shapes of lines in each motif have been analyzed by the researchers. base on the findings, the existing gravestones motifs not only were used for decorative purposes, but also referred to specific concepts, and in some samples they’ve got profound and mystical implications which arose from a human belief. these implications can be useful documents for finding the religious, cultural and social characteristics of that particular period of time.