blue (azraq), blue (kabud), dark blue

Evidence

"The association of blue in the depiction of Majnun in the paintings are paralleled in Nizami’s poem by the use of the term ‘cold.’ Cold colors such as blue are usually used to depict sadness, death, stillness and gloominess."

Remarks

Blue is systematically employed to denote mourning, grief, and renunciation (p. 80, 85). This iconographic tradition is particularly prominent in depictions of Majnun, representing his 'cold' and desolate state. The term 'cold' (p. 85) in poetry is visually translated into blue by artists. Meisami identifies this as a consistent tradition across Iran and western Afghanistan (p. 85). Specific terms like 'azraq' were noted as having negative connotations in pre-Islamic Arabia and the Quran, which influenced its later use in paintings (p. 91). In the Ilkhanid Mi'rajnama, Prophet Muhammad is depicted in blue to symbolize mourning for human souls (p. 91).