Iranian architecture

Pre-Islamic Architecture of Iran

Iranian architecture left a profound influence on the architecture of old civilizations. Professor Arthur Pope wrote: "Architecture in Iran has at least 6,000 years of continuous history, examples of which can be seen from Syria to north India and Chinese borders, and from Caucasus to Zanzibar."

It is not surprising that Iran ranks among the top 10 nations with the most Architectural ruins from antiquity. Iran is recognized by UNESCO as being one of the cradles of civilization.

The scope and width of Architecture in pre-Islamic Iran is so vast that it merits its own separate discussion. Each of the periods of Elamites, Achaemenids, Parthians, and Sassanians were creators of great architecture that over the ages has spread wide and far to other cultures.

The ruins of Persepolis, Ctesiphon, Jiroft, Sialk, Pasargadae, Firouzabad, Arg-é Bam, and hundreds of thousdands of other ruins documented in only what is today Iran may give us only a distant glimpse of what contribution Iranians made to the art of building.

Post-Islamic Architecture of Iran

Domes can be seen frequently in the structurae of bazaars and mosques, particularly during the Safavi period in Isfahan. Iranian domes are distinguished for their height, proportion of elements, beauty of form, and roundness of the dome stem. The outer surfaces of the domes are mostly mosaic faced, and create a magical view.

According to Dr. D. Huff, a German archaeologist, the dome is the dominant element in Persian architecture. Professor Arthur U. Pope, who carried out extensive studies in ancient Iranian and Islamic buildings, believed: "The supreme Iranian art, in the proper meaning of the word, has always been its architecture. The supremacy of architecture applies to both pre-and post-Islamic periods."

An investigation into post-Islamic architecture in Iran reveals how architecture was in harmony with the people, their environment, and their Creator. Yet no strict rules were applied to govern Islamic architecture. The great mosques of Khorasan, Isfahan, and Tabriz each used local geometry, local materials, and local building methods to express in their own ways the order, harmony, and unity of Islamic architecture. When the major monuments of Islamic Iranian architecture are examined, they reveal complex geometrical relationships, a studied hierarchy of form and ornament, and great depths of symbolic meaning.

Traditional Residential and Urban Architecture of Iran

Iran's old city fabric is composed of narrow winding streets called koocheh with high walls of adobe and brick, often roofed at various intervals. This form of urban design, which used to be commonplace in Iran, is an optimal form of desert architecture that minimizes desert expansion and the effects of dust storms. It also maximizes daytime shades, and insulates the “fabric” from severe winter temperatures.

Islamic beliefs coupled with the necessity to defend cities against frequent foreign invasions encouraged traditional Persian residential architects to create inward seeking designs amidst these narrow complicated koochehs, weaving tightly knit residential neighborhoods. Thus the house becomes the container as opposed to the contained. These houses possess an innate system of protection; they all have enclosed gardens with maximum privacy, preventing any view into the house from the outside world. Hence residential architecture in Persia was designed in a way so as to provide maximum protection to the inhabitants during times of tension and danger, while furnishing a microcosm of tranquility that protected this inner “paradise garden”.

Like many other cities throughout Iran, stucco was the most widespread method of ornamentation in Iranian houses. One reason was the relatively cheap price of the materials used (like gypsum for example) that don’t require a high temperature to be transformed into plaster. This is an important consideration in places like central Iran where wood is relatively scarce. Another reason is that it is easily shaped, molded, or carved. Thanks to stucco, a wall of crudely fashioned stone blocks or raw brick, gives an impression of great luxury. Thus stucco owes its luxurious appearance to the skill of the craftsman. And with a tradition of stucco technique going back to pre-Islamic Iran, this is an art fully mastered by Persian craftsmen, as seen here.

Earthquakes in Iran leave massive destruction. Most of Iran’s remaining traditional houses date from the post-quake eras during the Qajar period. Despite the efforts of architects to build resistance to earthquakes into their works, hardly anything remains from the spectacular Safavi palaces or anything prior to those as recounted by French and British explorers in many parts of Persia.

1. Hashti and Dalan-e-vorudi: Entering the doorway one steps into a small enclosed transitional space called Hashti. Here one is forced to redirect one’s steps away from the street and into the hallway, called Dalan e Vorudi. In mosques, the Hashti enables the architect to turn the steps of the believer to the correct orientation for prayer hence giving the opportunity to purify oneself before entering the mosque.
2. Convenient access to all parts of the house.
3. A central pool with surrounding gardens containing trees of figs, pomegranates, and grape vines.
4. Important partitionings such as the biruni (exterior) and the andaruni (interior).
5. Specific orientation facing toward and away from Mecca.

Furthermore, Persian houses in central Iran were designed to make use of an ingenious systems of wind catchers that create unusually cool temperatures in the lower levels of the building. Thick massive walls were designed to keep the sun’s heat out in the summertime while retaining the internal heat in the winters.

Persia's distinctive artistic heritage with efficient yet ancient technical know-how thus created houses and spaces whose features were aesthetic talars and roofscapes with intriguing light wells, as well as intricate window and mirror works, paintings, reliefs, and a beautifully crafted iwan amidst comfortable residential spaces in hot desert regions.

Whereas the geometrical rigor seen in the works such as those in Safavi era Isfahan invoke the perfect order of the celestial world, the vegetal ornamentation realized in the interiors of houses, testify to the Persian love of gardens. And the stucco carvings, frescoes, and paintings executed by royal craftsmen, exemplify the level of Persian aesthetics.

Famous Modern Iranian Architects

• Kava Massih of Berkeley, CA. (featured on "Architecture" magazine in 2002).
• Nader Khalili of CalEarth Institute. Founder. Featured on LATimes and NYTimes.
• Bijan Armandpour, LA, CA.
• Mark Vaghei of Atelier Architects.[1]
• Hariri and Hariri. One of the more famous of the Iranian American Architects. Their projects have been introduced by Steven Holl.
• Nadi Jahangiri of M3 Architects.
• Farshid Moussavi (link 2) of Foreign Office Architects. Probably the most successful. See his proposal for The World Trade Center. His works have been presented by Toyo Ito.
• Mehrdad Yazdani
• Kamran Diba
• Fariborz Sahba. A Bahá'í architect who designed the famous Lotus temple in India.
• Society of Iranian Architects and Planners

See also

• Persian gardens
• Architecture of Kashan
• Architecture of Qazvin
• Architecture of Yazd
• Architecture of Isfahan
• Caravanserais

External links

• Memaran, a Persian language online Architecture magazine
• Watch "Isfahan the Movie" on QuickTime Player to see superb example of Isfahan architecture.