Microcosm-Macrocosm Analogy in Islamic Tradition: An Architectural Reading

The aim of this research is to investigate some aspects of the idea of microcosm-macrocosm analogy in Islamic thought from architectural point of view. First, the concept of cosmic center or the pillar of universe and its prominent role on the definition of sacred space will be examined, then the position of the idea related to the topic of research will be defined by investigating religious and mythological roots. Moreover, the microcosmic idea considering human body as the small world and its relation to architectural conception will be approached through the philosophical point of view, by focusing on the treatise of Ikhwan Al- Safa, a tenth century encyclopedic work. In relation to the concept that human body summarizes the cosmic harmony and the role of this idea as the motivation for studying the human measurements, a comparative method is employed in order to highlight a tentative encounter between Greco-Islamic philosophy and phenomenology. The influence of philosophical exchange between Islam and the Western world on the topic is taken into consideration in order to provide a sufficient comprehension over the roots of this notion. In the final section, it is inspected the significance of geometric patterns through cosmological perspective. Meanwhile, it is elucidated that due to the restrictions placed on the figural representation in Islamic art, the manifestation of the microcosm-macrocosm analogy mainly exists in the form of geometric patterns. It is also reviewed that the order and harmony of the cosmos is abbreviated in these patterns and accordingly they symbolize the hierarchy of universe in Islamic cosmological point of view.

کلیدواژه ها:

Microcosm ، Macrocosm ، Cosmology ، Ikhwan al-Safa ، Geometric Pattern