University of Kashan Journal of Iranian Architecture Studies 2252-0635 14 27 2025 09 21 The Wooden Works of Safar Ali Bidgoli, a Woodcarver Artist of the Late Qajar Period The Wooden Works of Safar Ali Bidgoli, a Woodcarver Artist of the Late Qajar Period 131 155 114997 10.22052/jias.2025.257002.1406 FA Mohammad Mashhadi Noosh Abadi Associate Professor, School of Literature and Foreign Languages, University of Kashan Journal Article 2025 06 10 One of the Qajar-era woodworker-artists from the Kashan region, about whom little is known, is Safar Ali Bidgoli. This article introduces eight of his woodworking pieces, some of which had not been previously identified. These works include three double-leaf wooden doors from the shrines of Shahzadeh Mohammad in Nushabad, the Jameh Mosque of Abyaneh, and Bibi Shah Zeynab in Yazdel; four pulpits located in the Chahar-Suq Hosseiniyeh of Aran, Tuydeh Hosseiniyeh in Nushabad, the Jameh Mosque of Abyaneh, and the Khanqah Hosseiniyeh in Bidgol; and one royal Qur’an stand (rahl). These works were created over fifty years, from 1267 to 1317 AH (circa 1850–1900 AD). This study aims to identify Safar Ali's works and to provide a preliminary understanding of his life. Therefore, the central questions pursued are: Who was Safar Ali? What works of his have survived? Moreover, what artistic and thematic features do these works possess? The research data were primarily collected through fieldwork and subsequently described and analyzed using historical sources. Safar Ali is an artist responsible for the most extensive body of woodwork from the late Qajar period, including some of the last distinguished religious woodcarvings in the Kashan region. The style of most of his works—an innovative continuation of his contemporaries' approach—involved woodcarving geometric patterns centered on sunburst motifs, interspersed with floral spike designs. His pieces are artistically significant and, in terms of content, include the names of the artist and donors, dates, and religious concepts—especially Shia beliefs—expressed through Arabic inscriptions and Persian poetry. A carved door panel in the Jameh Mosque of Nushabad also remains as a testament to Mahmoud, the son of Safar Ali, who collaborated with his father on some woodworking projects. One of the Qajar-era woodworker-artists from the Kashan region, about whom little is known, is Safar Ali Bidgoli. This article introduces eight of his woodworking pieces, some of which had not been previously identified. These works include three double-leaf wooden doors from the shrines of Shahzadeh Mohammad in Nushabad, the Jameh Mosque of Abyaneh, and Bibi Shah Zeynab in Yazdel; four pulpits located in the Chahar-Suq Hosseiniyeh of Aran, Tuydeh Hosseiniyeh in Nushabad, the Jameh Mosque of Abyaneh, and the Khanqah Hosseiniyeh in Bidgol; and one royal Qur’an stand (rahl). These works were created over fifty years, from 1267 to 1317 AH (circa 1850–1900 AD). This study aims to identify Safar Ali's works and to provide a preliminary understanding of his life. Therefore, the central questions pursued are: Who was Safar Ali? What works of his have survived? Moreover, what artistic and thematic features do these works possess? The research data were primarily collected through fieldwork and subsequently described and analyzed using historical sources. Safar Ali is an artist responsible for the most extensive body of woodwork from the late Qajar period, including some of the last distinguished religious woodcarvings in the Kashan region. The style of most of his works—an innovative continuation of his contemporaries' approach—involved woodcarving geometric patterns centered on sunburst motifs, interspersed with floral spike designs. His pieces are artistically significant and, in terms of content, include the names of the artist and donors, dates, and religious concepts—especially Shia beliefs—expressed through Arabic inscriptions and Persian poetry. A carved door panel in the Jameh Mosque of Nushabad also remains as a testament to Mahmoud, the son of Safar Ali, who collaborated with his father on some woodworking projects. https://jias.kashanu.ac.ir/article_114997_c3d881caf71a4c5a320ff640dddf9a05.pdf