Reference
Motifs & patterns
نقشهاMotifs travel between crafts. Where a symbolic reading is contested, this archive sets out the competing interpretations rather than presenting one as settled.
Botehبته
A teardrop form with a curled tip, the ancestor of the European paisley pattern, found across weaving, printing and metal.
Interpretations
- A stylised cypress bent by wind, read as endurance.
- A floral bouquet or shrub in profile.
- A leaf or seed form with no fixed symbolic content.
Found in
Shah Abbasi palmetteشاه عباسی
A large composite palmette named after Shah Abbas I, usually set on a scrolling vine system.
Interpretations
- A court design associated with Safavid royal workshops.
- A composite flower rather than any single identifiable species.
Found in
Heratiهراتی
A small repeating field pattern: a rosette inside a diamond, flanked by four curved leaves often called fish.
Interpretations
- A garden lattice reduced to its smallest repeat.
- The 'mahi dar ham' or interlaced-fish reading of the curved leaves.
Found in
Gol-o-morghگل و مرغ
The flower-and-bird pairing, widespread in painting, lacquer, enamel and tile from the Qajar period onward.
Interpretations
- A lyric image of the nightingale and the rose drawn from Persian poetry.
- A decorative convention used without narrative intent.
Found in
Eslimi arabesqueاسلیمی
Continuous scrolling vine work, split-leaf and rhythmic, used as the connective tissue of Persian ornament.
Interpretations
- An abstracted vine system valued for continuity rather than depiction.
- A geometricised plant form developed in manuscript ateliers.
Found in
Gereh (geometric knot)گره
Strapwork star-and-polygon systems generated from a compass grid, shared between tile, inlay and lattice woodwork.
Interpretations
- A geometric system prized for its constructive logic.
- Readings of cosmological symbolism, which vary considerably between authors.
Found in
Mina khaniمیناخانی
An all-over lattice of small rosettes linked by vines and larger flower heads, common on village and city carpets.
Interpretations
- A garden lattice read as abundance.
- A trade name for a repeat, with no fixed meaning.
Found in
Afshanافشان
A scattered, all-over floral field with no dominant medallion, meaning 'scattered' or 'strewn'.
Interpretations
- A scattering of blossoms suggesting an endless garden.
- A layout term rather than a symbol.
Found in
Lachak-toranjلچک ترنج
The classic layout of a central medallion (toranj) with quarter-medallion corners (lachak).
Interpretations
- A dome seen from below, read by some writers as a sky or heaven.
- A book-cover layout moved onto carpets.
- A purely compositional frame.
Found in
Garden (bagh)باغ
Fields divided into compartments with water channels, trees and flowers, echoing the chahar-bagh garden plan.
Interpretations
- A picture of a four-part paradise garden.
- A decorative grid that borrows garden elements.
Found in
Panel (khesti)خشتی
Rows of square or diamond panels, each holding a tree, vase or flower; strongly linked to Bakhtiari weaving.
Interpretations
- A garden plan seen from above.
- A practical grid that suits village weaving.
Found in
Tree of lifeدرخت زندگی
A single tree or cypress rising through the field, sometimes with birds or a vase at its base.
Interpretations
- Life and continuity.
- A garden tree with no religious reading.
- A modern trade label applied to many tree designs.
Found in
Cypress (sarv)سرو
A tall, pointed tree form, often in rows, and one of the images most often linked to the boteh.
Interpretations
- Endurance and dignity in Persian poetry.
- A garden tree used decoratively.
Found in
Prayer niche (mehrabi)محرابی
An arched niche at one end of a rug or panel, echoing a mihrab; also used on non-religious pieces.
Interpretations
- A prayer-rug niche.
- An architectural arch used decoratively.
Found in
Vase design (goldani)گلدانی
Flowering vases repeated or stacked in the field, a layout seen on carpets, tiles and textiles.
Interpretations
- Abundance and a garden held in a vessel.
- A layout inherited from Safavid court designs.
Found in
Hunting scene (shekargah)شکارگاه
Mounted hunters, animals and trees across the field; a court subject taken up by carpets, miniature painting and tiles.
Interpretations
- Royal hunts and courtly pastimes.
- A pictorial subject chosen for display.
Found in
Simorghسیمرغ
The mythical bird of the Shahnameh, drawn with long plumed tail feathers.
Interpretations
- A protective, wise creature from Persian legend.
- A decorative bird whose name is sometimes applied loosely.
Found in
Lion and sunشیر و خورشید
A lion with a rising sun behind its back, used on coins, tiles, metalwork and textiles over several centuries.
Interpretations
- An astrological image of Leo and the sun.
- A former national emblem, with political meanings that changed over time.
Found in
Peacock (tavus)طاووس
A peacock with a fanned tail, seen on tiles, metalwork, carpets and enamel.
Interpretations
- Beauty and paradise gardens.
- A decorative bird in court taste.
Found in
Fish (mahi)ماهی
Paired leaf forms read as fish, usually flanking a rosette in a lattice; closely tied to the herati repeat.
Interpretations
- Water and fertility.
- A leaf form later called a fish.
Found in
Sarband bouquetسربند
Small repeated bouquets set in rows; the name comes from a district near Arak.
Interpretations
- A regional repeat used in trade descriptions.
Found in
Joshaghan latticeجوشقان
Diamond lattices of stylised flowers named after the weaving town of Joshaghan.
Interpretations
- A regional lattice used as a trade label.
Found in
Gol-farang roseگل فرنگ
Naturalistic cabbage roses and bouquets, a 19th-century taste that shows European influence.
Interpretations
- Trade with Europe and new decorative tastes.
Found in
Cloud band (chi)ابر چینی
Twisting ribbon-like cloud forms that entered Iranian design from Chinese art.
Interpretations
- Clouds and sky.
- A borrowed ornament used to fill space.
Found in
Khatai flowerختایی
Stylised palmettes, lotus-like blossoms and buds that run along scrolling stems.
Interpretations
- A flower set with names linked to 'Cathay' (China).
- A term for a family of blossom forms.
Found in
Shamsehشمسه
A sunburst rosette with radiating points, used on illuminated pages, book covers and ceilings.
Interpretations
- The sun and light.
- A centring device for a page or ceiling.
Found in
Medallion (toranj)ترنج
A lobed central medallion, usually lozenge-shaped or oval, found on book covers, carpets and ceilings.
Interpretations
- A citrus-shaped ornament.
- A compositional centre.
Found in
Eight-pointed starستاره هشتپر
Two overlapping squares forming an eight-pointed star; a key unit in tile, wood and inlay geometry.
Interpretations
- Order and balance.
- A building block of geometric repeats.
Found in
Ten-point rosetteشمسه دهپر
A ten-pointed star rosette that sits at the heart of many girih patterns.
Interpretations
- A geometric centre valued for its complexity.
Found in
Brick script (banna'i)بنایی
Square Kufic lettering built from glazed and plain bricks, so that words form geometric blocks.
Interpretations
- Sacred names repeated across a wall.
- Lettering used as architecture.
Found in
Kufic borderحاشیه کوفی
Angular script or script-like bands used on ceramics, metalwork and carpet borders.
Interpretations
- Writing used as ornament.
- Pseudo-script with no readable text.
Found in
Running dog borderموج
A wave-like hooked border, also called a 'wave' in Persian.
Interpretations
- Water and waves.
- A simple repeat that frames a field.
Found in
Gabbeh animal figuresنقوش حیوانی گبه
Simple goats, deer, lions and birds scattered across plain gabbeh fields.
Interpretations
- Scenes from herding life.
- Figures added to taste by the weaver.
Found in
Stepped lozengeلوزی پلهای
Stepped diamonds and hooks typical of flatwoven kilim, jajim and rug borders.
Interpretations
- Protective or tribal marks.
- A shape that suits slit-tapestry weaving.
Found in
Kerman boteh clusterبته کرمانی
Rich clusters of boteh and floral sprays worked in dense wool embroidery on pateh.
Interpretations
- A regional take on the boteh.
- Wedding and household display.
Found in
Birds and fishمرغ و ماهی
Birds and fish placed together, often on metal, ceramics and wedding textiles.
Interpretations
- Harmony between earth and water.
- Good wishes for a marriage.
Found in
Court scene (majlesi)مجلسی
Figures seated in garden or palace settings, shown with music, poetry or feasting.
Interpretations
- Illustrations of poetry and court life.
Found in
Khayyam sceneمجلس خیامی
A poet and a companion with wine and a garden, drawn from popular illustrations of the Rubaiyat.
Interpretations
- Poetry and the passing of time.
- A tourist-market subject since the 20th century.
Found in
Shahnameh sceneمجلس شاهنامه
Episodes from Ferdowsi's Book of Kings, such as Rostam's battles, on paintings, tiles and coffee-house art.
Interpretations
- Heroic legend and national epic.
Found in
Bird on a branchمرغ بر شاخه
A single songbird on a flowering branch, a close relative of gol-o-morgh used on lacquer and enamel.
Interpretations
- The nightingale and rose of Persian poetry.
Found in
Pen-box stripeقلمدانی
Narrow vertical stripes filled with small boteh and floral motifs, used on termeh.
Interpretations
- A trade layout name for termeh.
Found in
Honeycomb (lane-zanbori)لانه زنبوری
A tight hexagon repeat used in inlay, lattice and tile work.
Interpretations
- A regular, stable grid.