Architecture
Pre-Islamic:
Iranian architecture or Persian architecture is the
architecture of Greater Iran that has a continuous history from at least
5000 BCE to the present, with characteristic examples distributed over a
vast area from Syria to North India and the borders of China, from the
Caucasus to Zanzibar. Persian buildings vary from peasant huts to tea
houses, and garden pavilions to "some of the most majestic structures the
world has ever seen".
Iranian architecture displays
great variety, both structural and aesthetic, developing gradually and
coherently out of prior traditions and experience. Without sudden
innovations, and despite the repeated trauma of invasions and cultural
shocks, it has achieved individuality distinct from that of other Muslim
countries". Its paramount virtues are several: "a marked feeling for form
and scale; structural inventiveness, especially in vault and dome
construction; a genius for decoration with a freedom and success not rivaled
in any other architecture".
Naqshe Jahan square in Isfahan is the
epitome of 16th century
Iranian architecture.
Traditionally, the guiding, formative, motif of
Iranian architecture
has been its cosmic symbolism "by which man is brought into communication
and participation with the powers of heaven”. This theme, shared by
virtually all Asia and persisting even into modern times, not only has given
unity and continuity to the
Persian architecture, but has
been a primary source of its emotional characters as well.
The pre-
Islamic
architecture draws on 3-4 thousand years of architectural
development from various civilizations of the Iranian plateau. The
post-Islamic architecture of Iran in turn, draws ideas from its pre-
Islamic
predecessor, and has geometrical and repetitive forms, as well as
surfaces that are richly decorated with glazed tiles, carved stucco,
patterned brickwork, floral motifs, and calligraphy.
As such, Iran
ranks seventh in the world in terms of possessing historical monuments,
museums, and other cultural attractions and is recognized by UNESCO as being
one of the cradles of civilization
Each of the periods of Elamites,
Achaemenids, Parthians, and Sassanids were creators of great architecture
that over the ages has spread wide and far to other cultures being adopted.
Although Iran has suffered its share of destruction, including Alexander the
Great's decision to burn Persepolis, there are sufficient remains to form a
picture of its classical architecture.
The Achaemenids built on a
grand scale. The artists and materials they used were brought in from
practically all territories of what was then the largest state in the world.
Pasargadae set the standard: its city was laid out in an extensive park with
bridges, gardens, colonnaded palaces and open column pavilions. Pasargadae
along with Susa and Persepolis expressed the authority of The King of Kings,
the staircases of the latter recording in relief sculpture the vast extent
of the imperial frontier.
With the emergence of the Parthians and
Sassanids there was an appearance of new forms. Parthian innovations fully
flowered during the Sassanid period with massive barrel-vaulted chambers,
solid masonry domes, and tall columns. This influence was to remain for
years to come.
The roundness of the city of Baghdad in the Abbasid
era for example, points to its Persian precedents such as Firouzabad in
Fars. The two designers who were hired by al-Mansur to plan the city's
design were Naubakht, a former Persian Zoroastrian who also determined that
the date of the foundation of the city would be astrologically auspicious,
and Mashallah, a former Jew from Khorasan.
The ruins of Persepolis,
Ctesiphon, Jiroft, Sialk, Pasargadae, Firouzabad, and Arg-é Bam may give us
merely a distant glimpse of what contribution Persians made to the art of
building.
Islamic:
The fall of the Persian Empire to invading Islamic forces led to the
creation of remarkable religious buildings in Iran. Arts such as
calligraphy, stucco work, mirror work, and mosaic work, became closely tied
with
architecture in Iran in the new era.
Archaeological excavations have provided sufficient documents in support of
the impacts of Sasanian architecture on the
architecture of the
Islamic world.
Many experts believe the period of
Persian architecture from the 15th through 17th Centuries to be the
most brilliant of the post-Islamic era. Various structures such as mosques,
mausoleums, bazaars, bridges, and different palaces have mainly survived
from this period.
Safavi Isfahan tried to achieve grandeur in scale
(Isfahan's Naghsh-i Jahan Square is the 6th largest square worldwide)
knowledge about building tall buildings with vast inner spaces. However, the
quality of ornaments was decreased in comparison with those of the 14th and
15th centuries.
In the Old
Persian architecture,
semi-circular and oval-shaped vaults were of great interest, leading Safavi
architects to display their extraordinary skills in making massive domes.
Domes can be seen frequently in the structure 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. In the words of D. Huff, a German
archaeologist, the dome is the dominant element in
Persian
architecture.
Another aspect of
Persian architecture
was the harmony it presented and manifested with the people, their
environment, and their beliefs. At the same time no strict rules were
applied to govern this form of
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.
And thus when the major monuments of Islamic
Persian architecture
are examined, they reveal complex geometrical relationships, a studied
hierarchy of form and ornament, and great depths of symbolic meaning.
In the words of Arthur U. Pope, who carried out extensive studies in
ancient Persian and Islamic buildings:
"The meaningful Impact of
Persian architecture is versatile. Not overwhelming but
dignified, magnificent and impressive."