Ḥarīm and Ḥaram in the Text and Miniatures of the White Dome in Nezami’s Haft Paykar during the Timurid Period

پPainting in Iran has long been closely linked with Persian literature, functioning as more than mere illustration and serving as a visual interpretation of texts. This interrelation created a dynamic dialogue in which poetry inspired painters, while painting offered readers new ways to perceive the written word. Among classical works, Nezami Ganjavi’s Haft Paykar became one of the most significant sources of inspiration because of its intricate narrative structure, allegorical meaning, and lyrical beauty. The poem recounts the legendary journey of Bahram Gur through seven pavilions, each defined by a distinct color, story, and symbolic lesson. Beyond their architectural presence, these pavilions symbolize stages of the mystical path in Iranian spirituality, resonating strongly with Sufi traditions.



Bahram’s progression culminates on Friday, a day of communal prayer and spiritual renewal in Iranian–Islamic culture. His entry into the garden, an archetype of paradise in Persian thought, is framed by obstacles that highlight sanctum (ḥarīm) and sanctuary (ḥaram) as symbolic thresholds between human life and divine presence. At one point, Bahram gazes at the shrine from outside the wooden gate, a moment that conveys humility, restraint, and recognition of the sacred boundary. Only afterward does he enter the garden, where he seeks intimacy with his beloved while repeatedly facing threefold trials. Eventually, pure union—realized within the framework of religious norms—becomes attainable. At this stage, painters symbolically depict a heart within the garden’s enclosure, presenting the sanctum as both inner reality and sacred space where divine and human love converge.



This study examines miniatures from the Timurid through the Safavid periods, analyzing how sanctum and sanctuary were represented in narrative and conceptual forms. The research follows a qualitative, descriptive–analytical approach, grounded in library sources and purposive sampling of accessible miniatures from the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries. The guiding question asks: How were the concepts of sanctum and sanctuary articulated in Nezami’s Haft Paykar and in the White Dome miniatures produced between the Timurid and Safavid eras?



Findings reveal that White Dome miniatures visually expressed the sevenfold journey through transitions from multiple colors toward whiteness, symbolizing purity and spiritual union. The number seven itself carries comprehensive meaning in Iranian–Islamic thought, linked to planets, climates, days of the week, and stages of mystical love. Narrative illustration in these centuries combined boldness with careful symbolism, as artists represented sanctum and sanctuary with precision, mirroring ideals of chastity and piety in Iranian culture. The interplay between text and image demonstrates both unity and artistic maturity, while spatial representation was often articulated through inversion and symbolic layering.



Recurring motifs—open garden gates, closed palace windows, and inscriptions invoking Muftah al-Abwab (“Opener of the Gates”)—underscored thresholds between worldly and spiritual realms. These details created an interactive pictorial space where architecture became a metaphor for inner states. Ultimately, painters transformed visual representation into a sacred domain, situating the human quest for love and transcendence within the presence of God. The White Dome cycle therefore stands as evidence of the profound interconnection between literature, spirituality, and art in the Iranian–Islamic tradition.