The Tahmasbi Shahnameh, revered as one of the most exquisite illuminated manuscripts of the Safavid era, represents not only the apogee of Persian codicological artistry but also constitutes a palpable discursive document of Safavid hegemonic power. This study, grounded in Norman Fairclough's theoretical framework of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA)—with particular emphasis on his tripartite model (description, interpretation, explanation)—investigates the semantic function of calligraphic inscriptions embedded within the miniature paintings of this monumental codex. The central research question addresses how the constitutive elements of Safavid power discourse are materialized and encoded through these written-visual components.

The research corpus comprises a selection of miniature paintings from the manuscript, purposively sampled according to three principal criteria: thematic diversity, stylistic variation, and ideological saliency. In terms of research design, this investigation is fundamental in objective and qualitative in nature, employing a descriptive-analytical method that is meticulously aligned with Fairclough's three-dimensional analytic procedure, operationalized across two sequential phases of description and interpretation.

The findings reveal that the calligraphic elements—encompassing inscriptions, banners, battle standards, and thrones (arikah)—strategically deploy a broad repertoire of scripts and ornamental Kufic) across a heterogeneous range of themes (invocatory, doctrinal, amatory, aphoristic, and political). These elements function as potent ideological instruments. Through the process of naturalization, they effectively construct and perpetuate key pillars of Safavid royal ideology—namely, the sacrality of kingship, the doctrine of divine vicegerency the notion of vice-regency of the Imam and the continuity of the ancient Iranian imperial tradition—presenting these constructs as hegemonic common sense, self-evident and incontestable.