1
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Yazd University
2
Lecturer, Faculty of Architecture, Taft Islamic Azad University
Abstract
Ekhvan-os-Safa (literally the Fraternity of Earnestness) was a prolific activist group of scholars whose work greatly influenced the Islamic thought in later centuries. Written in a straightforward language understandable for all, their encyclopedic treatises refer to all available sources with no prejudice towards any religion or belief. They broadly cover four key subjects: mathematics, natural sciences, philosophy and logic, as well as canon law. In their view: the cosmos is a unified whole; the material world is a reflection of a Platonic archetypal world; numbers have a Pythagorean significance in addition to their quantification property; there is a nine-tiered hierarchy of existence; the created world is subject to continuous manipulation by its divine Creator; and the human being resembles the universe. It is argued that the impact of these beliefs could be traced in the features of Persian Islamic architecture such as unity of elements, hierarchy, and use of a symbolic geometry and proportions.
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