From Cypress to Platanus: Trees in the Persian Arts, Literature and Cultural Memory

17. Juni 2025, von AAI Webmaster

Foto: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public Domain

International Symposium

From Cypress to Platanus: Trees in the Persian Arts, Literature and Cultural Memory

Organized by Dr Negar Habibi (Université de Genève) and Prof. Dr. Shervin Farridnejad (Universität Hamburg/CSMC)

Mossadegh Foundation Lecture Series, June 17, 2025

Department of Art History, University of Geneva

Salle 211, Bâtiment des Philosophes

Trees have long held profound symbolic, religious, and literary significance in the Iranian world, a tradition that dates back to the Achaemenid Empire. One of the most emblematic examples is the cypress tree, closely associated with divine kingship in the Zoroastrian tradition. In this context, the cypress symbolizes the legitimate sovereign as a divinely sanctioned patron of the faith. Among these revered trees, the most renowned is the Cypress of Kashmar, located in the Balkh-i Bami district of Tarshiz, Khurasan. This tree occupies a pivotal place in the foundational narrative of Zoroastrianism, commemorating the conversion of King Gushtasp by the prophet Zarathustra. An inscription carved into its trunk marks this seminal moment, celebrating the king’s acceptance of the “good religion” and his role as its earthly protector.

During the Islamic period, arboreal symbolism continued to thrive in Persian cultural production. Trees came to embody not only natural forces but also metaphysical and philosophical ideals, enriching Persian poetry and visual culture. They appear throughout the literary canon—from the epics of Ferdowsi and the courtly verses of Farrokhi Sistani to the mystical works of Jami and Saeb Tabrizi—serving as metaphors for kingship, divine love, spiritual inquiry, and the cyclical passage of time.

In parallel with this literary tradition, trees feature prominently in Persian visual arts, including illustrated manuscripts, album paintings, carpets, textiles, metalwork, and ceramics dating from the tenth to the late nineteenth century. Often depicted alongside blossoming peach and almond trees, they serve to frame romantic encounters, battle scenes, and royal pursuits. In urban design, the symbolic and aesthetic role of trees is also evident: cityscapes incorporate tree-lined avenues, gardens like the Chenaristan, and architectural elements such as pavilions and portals adorned with stylized or naturalistic arboreal motifs in tile and ceramic work.

This one-day international symposium seeks to adopt a multidisciplinary perspective in reassessing the cultural and artistic significance of trees in Persian history. Rather than treating trees solely as ornamental components within the Chahar Baghor other garden typologies, this event foregrounds them as central subjects of inquiry in their own right. Topics will include the literary prominence of trees, their symbolic and philosophical resonances in Persian art and architecture, and their ideological meanings as conveyed through textual and visual sources.

Hosted by the University of Geneva, the symposium will bring together ten scholars from Switzerland, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Presentations will draw from diverse fields, including material and intangible cultural heritage, literary studies, art history, and philosophy, offering an enriched and nuanced understanding of arboreal imagery in the Iranian cultural sphere. A second round of the conference is scheduled to take place at the Centre for Iranian Studies at the University of Hamburg in 2026 under the direction of Professor Shervin Farridnejad.

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