Analysis of Semantic Light Effects in the Architecture of Isfahan during Safavid Period; Case Study: Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque in Isfahan

Architecture is the product of different contexts؛ so, the way of dealing the builders of a building with the architectural elements, has different semantic and physical manifestations in different contexts, despite the similarity in general. As an example, the light in the Shia religion of Islam is a symbol of the divine essence and expression of existence and it has always been considered by Muslim architects. To the extent that the spatial perception of many buildings of this period, regardless of the semantic position of light, leads to an incomplete understanding of space. This is especially visible in the design of religious buildings in general and mosques in particular. The mosque, which is the manifestation of the most ideal religious ideas and the most complete symbol of Islamic architecture, has been the best place to observe and study the theoretical and practical connections of its builders. However, today, in the construction of mosques, the role of light has been reduced only as one of the climatic elements and only for the function of lighting. The semantic aspects of light as they existed in the past are no longer known. The premise of this research is that light has appeared in the architecture of Isfahan in the Safavi period by emphasizing the semantic principles of the art. So the aim of this study is investigation of the qualitative characteristics of the presence of light in the architecture of Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque in Isfahan. The statistical population of this research is the mosques of the Safavi period in Isfahan. Among them, three mosques of Sheikh Lotfollah, Hakim and Imam have been studied. The research method of this study is descriptive-analytical and case study. The required data for this research have been collected through field observations, photography and library studies and have been qualitatively analyzed. After a semantic study of the presence of light in Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, a three-dimensional hierarchical system was identified. This structure includes three stages of separation, transfer and connection (pause, ‌movement and emphasis) in the design of this building. A system that seeks to move from matter to spirituality, to move from darkness to light, to move from heaviness to light, and to move from the underworld to the world of divinity. The result is an all-spiritual space in which the presence of God is felt everywhere.