Spektrum Iran

Reinterpreting spirituality in Iranian architecture through Mulla Sadra’s transcendent philosophy and the fourfold model of cognition

Document Type : Original Research Paper

Authors

Khosro Sahaf 1
Navid Jalaeian Ghane 2
Alireza Jalaeian Ghane 3

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Art & Architecture, Ma.C., Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran

2 PhD Candidate Department of Art & Architecture, Ma.C., Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran

3 Independent Researcher, Hamburg, Germany

10.22034/spektrum.2026.520432.1032
Abstrakt
Iranian architecture has historically evolved in close association with spirituality, a relationship reflected not only in its spatial and physical organization but also in its philosophical and theoretical foundations. Drawing upon Mulla Sadra’s Transcendent Philosophy and the Fourfold Model of Cognition, this study investigates the spiritual dimensions of Iranian architecture. Employing a qualitative logical–interpretive approach, the research is based on Islamic-Iranian philosophical sources and selected examples of traditional Iranian architecture. The theoretical framework is grounded in Mulla Sadra’s Transcendent Philosophy (al-Hikma al-Mutaʿāliyah), which is founded upon the principles of the Primacy of Existence, the Gradation of Existence, and Substantial Motion. From this perspective, architecture is understood not merely as a physical artifact but as an existential phenomenon capable of expressing philosophical principles. The Fourfold Model of Cognition, rooted in Iranian philosophical thought and the distinction between the apparent (ẓāhir) and the hidden (bāṭin), provides an analytical framework for exploring the relationship between architecture and wisdom. This model consists of four interconnected levels: concepts (meanings), foundations (principles), patterns (design frameworks and methods), and exemplars (cases and applications), through which the movement between meaning and matter, and between the hidden and the apparent, is examined. Based on theoretical analysis and observations of the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, the findings indicate that Iranian architecture, through the principles of Transcendent Philosophy, transcends aesthetic and functional dimensions to create a mystical and ontological experience of space. The study concludes that Mulla Sadra’s philosophical foundations can provide a theoretical basis for revitalizing the spiritual dimensions of contemporary architecture, while the Fourfold Model of Cognition offers a methodological framework for interpreting and designing architectural spaces from a spiritual perspective.

Keywords

Spatial authenticity
primacy of existence
Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque
substantial motion
gradation of existence
Subjects
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Spektrum Iran
Volume 39, Issue 1
January 2026
Pages 43-83

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