In prominent mystical texts, including the works of Rūmī and 'Attār, Mahmūd appears as a symbol of the destination and the purpose. In this paper, the writer; examining this symbol in the works of the great Iranian mystics, explores the reason why the symbol is so well-known in the history and culture of Iran.  

From the perspective of rhetorical word, a symbol is a phrase or a sentence that has an apparent meaning. Moreover, it inspires the reader a wide range of meanings. Since expressing the complicated social and political ideas and indirect reflection of social and political thoughts is easier if done symbolically, so the symbol and symbolism- especially in Persian literature and specifically in the realm of Persian poetry- have had a special appearance. In addition to the factors mentioned, in the contemporary literature, paying attention to defamiliarization in literary works and the emergence of particular schools interested in ambiguity, have increased the range of symbolization. More especially, the symbol has all the features of artful ambiguity, and it is one of the major factors causes ambiguity in the poem. Thus, giving exact definitions and contemplating on symbols of contemporary poetry could resolve the ambiguity of them and help the reader to distinguish between similar figures, that is, coded kennings and symbol-like metaphors.In literature, especially in language of poetry, the inability of language to reflect obscure mystical ideas, avoiding direct expression of political and social concerns of the reader in the course of participation with an aim of creating ambiguous literary works is the main motivation towards symbol and symbolization. According widespread use of symbol and its different species can be viewed from different perspectives. The creation of ambiguity is the main purposes of using symbols (especially in contemporary poetry), so the efforts of many poets to achieve this goal have caused formation of similar symbols. The explanation and resolution of this issue can open new window for understanding the poetry in front of the audience.This paper examines the ambiguity of symbols in terms of its precise boundaries.Ambiguity is one of the important and key processes in the Iranian poetry, or in a better word, today poetry. In such poetry ambiguity is a necessity to explore the new world or from a different perspective, it is the result of this complex world. In general, in Persian poetry there are three types of ambiguity such as: nonessential ambiguity, intentional and unintentional ambiguity.An effective literary texts, owes its origin to creation of multiple meanings and spreading its levels of meaning. One of the serious differences between literary work with other linguistic works is the plurality of meaning. Richness and depth of literary texts and creation a range of meanings, is the result of ambiguity. In this respect, engaging the reader in creating meaning will make a typical interaction between the audience and the text. Ambiguity provides opportunities for deep thinking and reacting of reader, so takes reader beyond freedom of the text within its borders and freedom of thought has to be brought for its reader.Having interaction between text and reader in the history has caused different reactions and multiple conversations with generations. This process has been interpreted as dynamicity of the literary work. The ambiguity of the poem is creating by the symbols and symbolism. So the symbol is a rhetorical element suggests the reader the apparent meaning, in addition to a wide range of meaning. In classical Persian works ambiguity in text is created indifferent forms such as kenning and metaphor and code. Today, symbol is burdening this task mostly.In past, allegory in terms of clarity divided to the four categories: Allusion, gesture, code and innuendo. Those kennings are considered as codes that vehicles are hidden in them, and perception of their meaning is difficult and sometimes impossible. So, in this case, code should be considered as a mark or word. Also there are metaphors due to their newness and uncertain senses to support new meaning according to the traditional meaning and appearance of metaphors (i.e. not considering true and apparent meaning), with multiple figurative meanings takes readers to the border of suspicion of doubt about symbols. These metaphors generally are divided into two categories: metaphors that are close to the symbol and symbols that have been decoded. Since the nature of symbol is fundamentally ambiguous and multiple causes dynamicity and depth of literary work. Poets- especially today poets - try using symbols and symbolic terms in their work or even take steps in symbolization. The scope of this paper consists of the concept of true symbols and similar ones such as coded kennings and symbol-like metaphor.As noted above, "ambiguity" is the main goal of a symbol, especially in today poetry, where the poet hides his purpose and expression in cover of meaning and makes the audience confused. Although other rhetorical elements, such as metaphor and allegory, pave the way for reaching this goal, because of signs (which lead the reader to the original meaning) cannot be as ambiguous as symbol and by semantic flexibility force reader to think deeply. Therefore, poets' efforts to connect metaphor and kenning to symbol for reaching a higher level of ambiguity, put issues like coded kennings and symbol-like metaphors in front of real symbols.

Ghahreman Shiri∗Although Hindi style has been apparently used in the most non-political poetic period in Iranian literature, in fact most of its principle features have been formed in reaction to cultural policies of Safavid era. Intricate imageries and reasoning characteristics are in response to superficiality and shallowness of the people. An attempt to discover tenor and aversion and dissidence to tradition, politics and ideology are as well reactions to political and cultural limitations and prohibitions which eventually results in a quite different world from the present realities in the society.

Sohrab Sepehri, the contemporary innovative literary stylist poet, has always employed a symbolic and, at the same time, a peculiar language which is unique by itself. In general, his poem is a symbolic and a poetic description of a kind of mysticism intelligible to common people. Through drawing upon poetic elements, phenomenon, and lexicon, Sepehri has tried to awaken the unconscious nature of his readers and divert their attention to new horizons. Due to his mentalityand also his peculiar understanding of the events, he has had to resortto an unusual and symbolic language based on intuition. In this way, he has achieved a certain kind of aestheticism in his works. Semantic, linguistic, imagery and symbolic defamiliarization can be traced in his poetry. These very peculiarities have made him a different and modern poet in our time. The present paper reviews some aspects of Sepehri's symbolism through exploring his use of words, objects and the living things as perceived through his intuition and mysticism.

symbol is one of literary techniques which has been given attention by many poets. In its general meaning, symbol is the representation and explanation of something. The important characteristic of symbols is its ambiguity, unclearness, undetailedness and indirectness; it means that in symbolic language, desire and intention, is not the appearance and a figure of speech, but it is a concept, beyond the surface and deeper. Sohrab Sepehri, one of the contemporary poets, has used symbol in his poems and one of the mysteries of his poems is ambiguity and complexity. In this article the effort was to study and describe symbols in Sohrab’s poetry as much as possible, to see his worldview and his ideas from this point of view. symbols of Sohrab’s poetry are originated in his Gnostic, philosophical and social beliefs and ideas. He has been affected by different cultures of Islamic Iran, ancient India and China and Christianity. However, his poetry announces an internal enthusiasm and personal behavior. Sohrab is a Gnostic poet and his symbols are different from socio-political symbols of his other contemporary poets.

Acquisition of knowledge and cultural cooperation with the other civilized nations has been the most important art of the Iranian. This is evident if you study about Jundishapur University, which was established during the Shapur II reign (309-379 AD) in the city of Gondeshapur. The remains of the university still exist in Shahabad, a village 14 km southeast of Dezful, to the road for Shush, in the present-day province of Khuzestan, southwest Iran (Wikipeia). In the very past, medicine, philosophy, theology, basic sciences, especially astronomy, have been studied at the university. There were educational hospital, a pharmacology laboratory, an observatory, and a large library with books and manuscript in Pahlavi, Greek, Indi and Syrian. This university was considered as a model when Bayt al-hikmah (house of wisdom) was established in Baghdad.

In Iranian Art mystical Concepts and symbolic signs have always been affective methods in conveying thoughts, religious and ceremonial insights. For this reason, symbolic concepts and mystical Literary and artistic works have been assigned a major part of Iranian art. Probably no other symbol was known more than the winged circle in different tribe's culture and this is why today in the modern world we can still see this sign in different companies and organization logos and trademarks. For this purpose we study the falcon sign which was the sun's symbol in all ancient civilizations and has a deep relation with this sign, then will consider the meaning and symbols of the winged circle on those civilizations. We hope that this research will be useful to all who wish to know more about this mystical sign.

We can begins with Anahita, this ancient Iranian goddess mother with various pregnant statues that shows the worship mother of gods from the new stone age in Iran that appears in different forms on the other eras. Mother-Iranian goddess in Achaemenian manuscripts named Anahita. The picture of this goddess has seen in reliefs and behind the coins with a milled edge crown. Samanid art is kind of continuation of Sasanid art, and for this reason the figures have seen on this potteries affected by Sasanid art. On this essay we consider the woman figure on this era. On the Samanid potteries you can see the fertility symbols like snake, fish, new moon, palm leaf and pomegranate. It seems that women figures have a unique character.

symbol is one of the means that leads to cognition and is the most fundamental way of expressing the ideas which without symbolism they cannot be revealed. Therefore, symbols fulfill a prominent function in the area of religious ideas. Religious traditions are full of myths and in this sphere only the symbolic language could be useful. In other words, symbol is the language of the myth. Among the religious symbols Height is one that has played an important role from the primitive age until now. It has always been identified with a kind of value that connects human’s mind to superiority, transcendence and divinity. This article firstly tries to survey the concept of symbol and symbolism and then the function of it in the area of religion and myth. Finally it studies the symbol of Height and its major manifestations such as sky and mountain.

From the earliest period of Persian poetry, the sun has been a subject of attention, and in the 6th and 7th AH, Khāghānī Shirvāni, Attār Nishāburi and Mowlānā Jalāl-al Din Balkhi employed the image of the sun in their poems. But for Shahāb al-Din Suhrawardi (1155-1191), the Persian philosopher and mystic, the light and the sun have a special significance; according to him all creation is a successive outflow of the original supreme Light of Lights (Nur al- Anvar).This article tries to analyze the symbol of sun in the Allegorical Works of Suhrawardi, especially Loqat-e Murān.