تحلیل مفاهیمِ مؤثر بر شکل‌گیری فرم و تزئینات عَلم‌های سوگواری ماه محرّم با رویکرد سنّت‌گرایی

Introduction: The use of special ceremonial objects in religions is an ancient custom practiced in various cultures in the world. The mourning rituals of Muharram are among the most significant Shia religious rituals in Iran, in which ceremonial objects are often employed. The 'Alam is among the most widely used objects in the mourning rituals of Muharram. In modern times, the 'Alam is specially customized and given a new appearance with ornaments of animals, mythological, botanical, abstract images, and epigraphic motifs, and it is utilized to honor high-ranking martyrs. This religious artefact, with its symbolic ornaments, is carried over the shoulders of one or more persons (depending on its size and weight) through a specific route, with the mourners following. Given the aforementioned characteristics, this study aims to analyze the concepts that shape the 'Alam’s form and ornament from a new perspective.
Objectives: In the Traditionalist School of thought, allocating special emphasis to any form of religious symbolism and attempting to reminisce about the roots and origins of any symbol leads to higher awareness and spiritual perfection. Consequently, this research aimed to discover the factors impacting the form and ornaments of the 'Alam, as well as to analyze their meaning mythologically, religiously, and spiritually with an emphasis on Coomaraswamy's methodology within the traditionalist context. This study aimed to answer the following question: How can the process of shaping the forms and ornaments of the 'Alam be analyzed within the Traditionalist School? The study was conducted using library documents, field photography, and online documents.
Literature Review: The previous research in this field fails to lend an analytical eye to structural and decoration concepts in 'Alams, as they tend to focus on the 'Alam’s form and the ornaments, or they take on a religious and anthropological approach. Therefore, as a result of the traditionalist approach and its related research landscape adapted here, this study is unique and analyzes the concepts impacting the structure and ornaments of mourning 'Alams from a novel viewpoint.
Methodology: The general approach of the current study is the Traditionalist School, and it is qualitative in nature. By employing a descriptive-analytical method and Coomaraswamy’s approach to analysis of symbols, especially in works such as On the Loathly Bride, A Figure Covered with Eyes, and The Rape of a Nāgī: An Indian Gupta Seal, in which he aims to find the conceptual background of religious artworks in ancient myths and belief systems and considers three levels of meaning for revealing the meaning of a work or narrative. These steps or levels of meaning include describing, analyzing the ancient myths to reveal the symbolic meaning, and finally, interpreting the manifestation of metaphysical wisdom in a physical or narrative form. This method of analysis emphasizes the Prennial Philosophy, which is one of the fundamental concepts in traditionalism. In this research, this model was adapted into a more general approach, studying the symbolic level from a mythical, religious, and spiritual perspective to offer a more definite interpretation. The symbolic concepts of form and ornaments are categorized in separate tables, and the final interpretation was conducted according to a comparison of data. The concepts are the results of written sources and traditional oral history and beliefs.
Findings and Results: As the migration of symbols is considered an ordinary occurrence in the history of religions, a symbol’s significance does not lie in the persistence or replacement of hierophany, but in the fact that it causes the persistence of the “hierophany” process and is a symbol of a sacred being or cosmology (Eliade, 2023, 416). Therefore, the presence of symbolic decorations, including mythical, animal, botanical, and functional, on 'Alam reveals the conceptual overlap throughout history. The conceptual complexity created in various forms of Tūgh and 'Alam suggests a profound meaning, which is culturally combined with myths, religion, and spirituality, aiming to find the eternal life elixir created in the plant life and the guarding dragons, creatures one with the sun, life, and purity, and passes through to immortalize those who stepped in the path of eternal life and died for righteousness.
Conclusion: Based on the results of the analysis, it can be concluded that although Tūgh and 'Alam entered Iran from the eastern regions of Central Asia, and it changed from a symbol of corps and honoring the deceased to an instrument for Chivalrous Men, its relatively simple structure changed and adopted a new decorative and symbolic appearance with layers of meaning upon meeting Iranian and Mesopotamian ancient beliefs. The role of spirituality and mysticism is further revealed from these symbols and their function, which was accentuated within the religious context of the Safavid dynasty. The impact of those scholars who were familiar with the ancient meaning of these symbols and added certain meanings to them within the traditional, cultural, and religious context of the time not only ensured the durability of such a significant artifact in Shia culture, honoring the Battle of Karbala and Ashura, but it also led to the continuance of a thousand-year-old identity and culture. This signifies that mythical beliefs do not go away, but through time, they are covered with traditional, religious, cultural, and even political layers of thought, and they take on a new form; however, they are fundamentally the same and suggest the wish to achieve a long-lasting legacy, which is what mankind has sought since the beginning of time. Finally, this religious object has turned into a symbol of honoring the blood of the innocent shed unjustly, the martyrs, and heroes who have, throughout history, guarded and protected the truth of life, water, land, and the spiritual elixir of life in the world.