evaluating and comparing tashtab (water tub) in the armenian`s cemetery and in the cemetery of takhte foulad in isfahan

abstractart, architecture, literature of iran and of the world is full of creations which serves to respect  the nature and its elements with the aid of symbols and signs.cup marks, mithraic temples and temples to worship water and fire from the ancient world,recenttashtab and saqakhaneh all of them are representing the respect to the major elements of nature, especially water. on the other hand, nature and death are linked closely together since both of them promise a renewed life and reproduction in every moment. among the elements of the nature, water is both the symbol of life and the symbol of death and renewed life, and it is sometimes associated with the eternal life of which the manifestations are myths of water of life and sacred fountains. also, the ceremonies to respect the dead, strewing water and flower on the tombs, putting various tools in the graves and sacrificing rituals are in the domain of the reality of death and originated in the human’s eagerness for immortality and eternal life. meanwhile, the presence of the four elements (water, wind, earth and fire) in the area of ​​tombs and mausoleums is also very significant because by the presence of tashtab and lighting candles on the graves, the four elements of nature find their true and sacred identity in a consistent and symbolic format. based on this thinking, human's grave is a sign of life rather than human’s death,and carvings on the graves are according to such thoughts. tashtab with beautiful carvings and decorations are of other symbolic forms, although they have been carved on the graves and are associated with the concept of death and destruction, but they bear the element of life and are intertwined with the meaning of life and the divine hierarchy. tashtab as its name indicates, is the place of accumulation of water and of decorative and semantic elements on the graves, which has been carved in the heart of tombstones in various forms with different patterns such as trees, fish and angels. tashtab is not limited to iran and the islamic world, but they benefit from a globally shared thinking and attitude in different civilization, particularly in the orient,so that regardless on muslim tombs they are seen in a variety of designs in the cemetery of the armenians and of the jews in isfahan, and even in the far east. the presence of variety of tashtab in the cemetery of takhte  foulad and the armenians’, which are considered as iran's most important shrines, is considerable and appreciable.the continuous relationship and interaction of these two nations from ancient time and the kinship of monotheistic religions and the unity of human with the nature have resulted in many artistic and cultural commonalities, of which some are presented in the forms of carvings on the tombs and especially in the form of tashtab. the purpose of this study is to examine the roots of the formation of tashtab on the tombstones and its relevant meanings in both iranian and armenian culture.