The study of goals and structural specifications in the five spiritual Travel books

Since long ago, the human confrontation with death has roused the curiosity and fear in him. What would happen to him after death and where he would go? That is the main question and apprehension of the mankind. Imaginative travel books have been one of the common responses to this fear and curiosity. The samples of these works are manifested in many cultures and nations. The current study, as one of the long list of these texts which are called "spiritual travel books", employs analytical and descriptive methods to examine five cases: Gilgamesh epic, Ardavirafname, Er of Plato, Seyrolebad Sanaaie, and Divine comedy of Dante. Regarding political, social, religious, and philosophical goals these texts have some commonalities. They also have similarities in structural specifications such as: holy numbers, presence of guide, symbol, archetype, description of afterlife world and etc. These sharing and similarities resulting from fundamental pattern of human beings’ mentality and cultural and religious exchanges between nations show that the spiritual travel books can account for the common language of mankind and reveal how facts are shared among human beings.