Traditional motifs are typically rooted in religious beliefs, cultural traditions, or mythology. Over time, these motifs have served as sources of artistic inspiration and have been incorporated into various forms of decorative arts. The Wāq-Wāq tree is a motif formed through the fusion of human and animal figures with vegetal designs. References to this tree or the "Island of Wāq" appear in the works of Muslim geographers, who located it in eastern regions such as China and India. However, some scholars argue that after the Ghaznavid conquest of parts of India, this motif was introduced into Persian decorative art by Iranian intellectuals, including Ferdowsi and Al-Biruni, and gradually gained prominence. This development is often attributed to Islamic prohibitions on figurative representation, which compelled traditional designers to devise alternative methods for depicting human and animal forms.
The Wāq-Wāq tree is the origin of the decorative Wāq motif. This motif first appeared during the Seljuk period in manuscript illustrations and book ornamentation, and by the 8th century AH (14th century CE), it became one of the seven fundamental principles of Persian painting. This study examines the various forms of the Wāq motif and analyzes its visual and compositional characteristics based on Persian manuscript illustrations from the 8th to 10th centuries AH (14th to 16th centuries CE). The primary research question is: How was the Wāq motif represented in Persian manuscripts from the 8th to 10th centuries AH?
The research adopts a descriptive-analytical approach, with data collected through documentary and library-based methods. The findings reveal that the imagery of the Wāq-Wāq tree inspired artists' creative imaginations, leading to the integration of vegetal designs with animal and human heads in numerous artworks. Ultimately, this motif became one of the seven foundational principles of decorative art in Persian painting.