Visual appearance and position of women in the paintings of Ahsan al-Kebar's manuscript of Golestan Palace

The political actions of the Safavid kings and the formalization of the Shia religion in this period created fundamental changes in the political, social and cultural fields. Due to these developments, the society's attitude towards the role of women in society changed, which has emerged in works of art, including painting. Ahsan al-Kebar is one of the Shiite illustrated manuscripts in the Safavid era, whose illustrations are based on the artist's vision and attitude towards religious teachings. In this research, 6 selected pictures from Ahsan-al-Kebar's manuscript, in which women played a role, are examined with the aim of identifying the image position of women in accordance with her social and religious status. The research method in this study is descriptive-analytical and the data were collected based on documentary studies. The findings show that the painter has depicted women's bodies according to their religious and social status; therefore, he depicted the holy women with white veils and in the picture of the marriage of Hazrat Fatima (S) and Hazrat Ali (AS), he even avoided depicting the blessed figure of the beloved daughter of the Prophet (S). In other paintings, women are depicted in a simple and unimpaired outfit and in a dignified state.