By analogy, should the imagery of dragons
Armenia and throughout the Iranian world, thus
flanking and apparently emitting crosses carry a
underlining, once again, the auspicious character
positive symbolism, then this would have impli-
of the motif (fig 133) 97
cations for other motifs in the same position The
A closely comparable visual formulation is
closely related theme of symmetrically doubled
found in the drawing of the brass door handles of
dragons flanking a central animal head survives
al-Jazarī, intended for the palace door at Diyārbakr
on architectural compositions It appears on two
in southern Anatolia, which survives only in a
of the round towers of the northern city wal of the
copy of the original illustration and a description
medieval Armenian city of Ani, probably added
in the treatise on automata written by the master
under Shaddādid rule in the early twelfth cen-
craftsman In the illustration the knockers are
tury Here the creatures’ heads with gaping jaws,
shown in the form of two confronted dragons
revealing rows of teeth and tongues with bifid tips,
with gaping mouths and outstretched tongues that
frame a bovine head that in one instance holds a
frame the lion-headed knob (fig 134)
ring in its mouth (fig 130) The dragons’ necks
The popularity and wide distribution of the
carry ornamental bands as collars The prominent
theme of the lion’s mask with paired dragon heads
depiction of the motif on the towers of the city
is further underlined by its representation on
walls certainly underlines its apotropaic intent It
architectural monuments such as the fine relief
may be surmised that the bovine head flanked by
embel ishing the upper corners just below the roof
dragon mouths is therefore not threatened by the
of the thirteenth-century church of Surb Karapet
devouring aspect of the dragons, but, contrarily,
(John the Baptist) (1221–1227) on the east side
is presumably guarded and protected
The Mush Homiliary yields further variations of
of the monastic complex of Noravankʿ in Vayots
the lion’s mask with paired dragon heads growing
Dzor in southern Armenia (fig 135)
from or issuing vegetation The mythical creatures
The complexity of the theme of confronted
are shown joined to the mask with the help of a
dragon heads is reflected in a zoomorphic com-
knotted vegetal interlace bearing split-palmettes
position at the monastic complex of Geghard,
and buds (fig 131) This is also modified to include
also known as Ayrivankʿ, in the mountainous
paired human heads A marginal ornament shows
region of Kotaykʿ, Armenia, that perhaps repre-
the central lion mask to emit two leaves from
sents the coat of arms of the Proshian family 98
its mouth which rise along either side reaching
The large high relief covers most of the northern
the mask’s crown and issue two human heads in
wal above the archways leading to the rock carved
profile (fig 132) 96 It is notable that the human
family sepulcher of the Proshians The funerary
profiles, drawn in clear outline with large almond-
chamber to the northeast of the gavit (narthex)
shaped eyes, bulbous nose and receding chin, are
was constructed in 1283 and houses the remains
closely comparable to the head of a sphinx mar-
of Khaghbakian Prosh, a vassal of the Zakʿarid
chant on a star tile from the now destroyed small
dynasty who had sold the monastery to the Prosh
palace at Kubadabad (built three decades after
family A stairway west of the gavit leads up to
the inception of the paintings in the Homiliary),
a burial chamber of his son Papak and his wife
which is rendered with a similar tight-fitting head-
Ruzukan which according to an inscription on
dress with pointed tip (fig 65) From the apex
one of the central columns was hewn out in 1288
of the leonine mask spring further vegetal stalks
The plastically rendered relief sculptures show a
bearing palmettes and foliage which terminate at
monumental bovine head at the apex holding a
the top in two confronted open-mouthed dragon
large ring in its mouth which is fastened to chains
heads whose projecting tongues touch the central
that are attached to the collars of symmetrically
stalk
doubled confronted lions marchant The long
In the same manuscript the theme of paired
curving tails of the imposing felines evolve at the
dragons cum lion’s mask can be observed Signifi-
tips into large upward-looking dragon heads Ren-
cantly, this imagery takes the characteristic form
dered with gaping snouts terminating in tightly
of a pomegranate, a fruit which for its abundant
curled tips and revealing large fangs and project-
seeds symbolises fertility and immortality both in
ing tongues as well as ornamental bands form-
96 Cf Durnovo, Sargsian, and Mnatsakanyan, 1978, pl 31
in Greek mythology, see Elderkin, 1924, pp 1–3, 18, 25–7,
(lower right corner)
44–5, 118
97 See also pp 65, 71, n 208 On the pomegranate motif
98 Khalʿpakhʿchian, 1980, p 325 and figs 18 and 20
the dragon in relation to royal or heroic figures
123
ing collars around the necks, the dragon heads
above-mentioned thirteenth-century caravanserai
diagonally flank the bovine head from below in
Susuz Han near Bucak (figs 7 and 124) How-
a triangular fashion The composition thus offers
ever, at the türbe of Hüdavend Hatun the drag-
a parallel to the two relief sculptures with paired
ons appear visual y merged with a double-headed
dragons framing a bovine head (which in one
eagle, the bifid tongues thrust upwards from their
instance also holds a ring in its mouth) that cir-
gaping jaws towards the eagle’s heads and then
cumscribe two of the towers of the northern city
towards the human head at the apex It may be
wall at Ani (fig 130) At Geghard the sculptures
presumed that just as in the case of the conceptual
are augmented further just below the lions’ fron-
doubling of representations mentioned earlier, a
tally oriented heads by the sculpture of a com-
device prominent throughout the medieval period
manding eagle with outspread wings whose claws
and seen here in the double-headed eagle and
grasp an ungulate – most probably a symbol of
dragon, the composite hybrid portrayed here on
the princes’ power (fig 136)
the türbe is similarly an example of an intention
An elaboration of the motif of dragon heads
to reinforce and augment the visual impact and
flanking a central mask-like human face is fea-
intended effect of the potent symbol The motif
tured on the türbe of Hüdavend Hatun in Niğde
shown on the türbe may thus be seen as a visu-
The monument, with a sixteen-sided pyramidal
ally amplified version of that on the caravanserai
roof on an octagonal body, is of cut stone and was
Susuz Han
built in 712/1312, during the lifetime of the prin-
It is further noteworthy that the pictorial amal-
cess who was buried there twenty years later, and
gamation of the dragon and the bird, as shown in
during the rule of the Ilkhanid governor Sunqur
the present example, is also il ustrated for instance
Ağa The motif is amalgamated with the relief
on the presumably royal Saljuq silk fragment,
of a frontally presented double-headed bird of
now preserved in the shrine of Saint Apollina-
prey, almost certainly symbolising an eagle, which
ris in Siegburg (fig 69) The representation of a
fills one of the carved blind niches that decorate
closely related motif on the türbe of Hüdavend
the façade of the octagonal building The tips
Hatun, the daughter of the Rūm Saljuq sulṭān
of the outspread wings of the eagle extend into
Rukn al-Dīn Qılıch Arslan IV, underlines its royal
upward-curving dragon heads with long, upward-
connotations The examples above moreover show
curved snouts and projecting tongues A mask-
that even during Ilkhanid rule the iconography
like frontally rendered human head springs from
of the dragon, stylistically and presumably also
between the elongated interlaced birds’ necks
iconologically, continued to follow “Saljuq-style”
that form a loop at the base, while the addorsed
conventions
eagle heads peck at their own outspread wings
A similar conceptualisation governs a later il us-
(fig 137)
tration in a copy of Zakariyyāʾ ibn Muḥammad
As was shown earlier in chapter 5, animals
al-Qazwīnī’s cosmography ʿAjāʾib al-makhlūqāt
can sometimes be seen merging visually with one
wa gharāʾib al-mawjūdāt (“Wonders of Creation
another, thus fusing not only bodily but presum-
and Oddities of Existence”), written around
ably also in terms of their innate characteristics
668/1270 It is represented in the Sarre Qazwīnī,
The motif here shows a fusion of the eagle with
now in the Freer Gal ery of Art, Washington, DC,
the dragon, both of which are rendered symmet-
the suggested dates for which have varied from
rically with doubled heads and necks, to which
1350 to the early fifteenth century 99 It is consid-
the human aspect is added in the form of the
ered “a last living example of the long tradition
central frontally represented face, resulting in a
of manuscript painting associated with the local
therianthropomorphic hybrid The eagle heads
iconographical tradition of Diyarbakir ”100 In the
are thus shown hacking with their sharp beaks
light of this attribution it may be interesting to
at their own wings since these are at the same
take a closer look at what is a comparatively late
time an extension of the “bodies” of the dragons
representation of the motif It shows a gigantic
that spring from the wing tips Moreover, this
polycephalic scaly dragon (al-tannīn) with a large
composite imagery offers an interesting parallel
pretzel-like knot incorporating a smal , mask-like
to that of the mask-like face flanked by dragon
human head Two of the six projecting dragon
heads with wide-open mouths that appears on the
heads, their confronted gaping jaws revealing pro-
99
100
Cf Badiee, 1984, p 97
Eadem, 1978, p 406, pl 42, and eadem, 1984, p 103
124