Architecture

Iranian architecture or Persian architecture is the architecture ofIran and parts of the rest of West Asia, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Its history dates back to at least 5,000 BCE with characteristic examples distributed over a vast area from Turkey and Iraq toUzbekistan and Tajikistan, and 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".

In addition to historic gates, palaces, and mosques, the rapid growth of cities such as the capital, Tehran (Architecture of Tehran) has brought about a wave of demolition and new construction.

Iranian architecture displays great variety, both structural and aesthetic, from a variety of traditions and experience. Without sudden innovations, and despite the repeated trauma of invasions and cultural shocks, it has achieved "an individuality distinct from that of other Muslim countries". Its paramount virtues are: "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".

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 has not only given unity and continuity to the architecture of Persia, but has been a primary source of its emotional character as well.

According to Persian historian and archaeologist Arthur Pope, 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.

Categorization of styles

Overall, the traditional architecture of the Iranian lands throughout the ages can be categorized into the six following classes or styles ("sabk"):^[7]

Zoroastrian:

• • The Parsian style (up until the third century BCE) including:
    • Pre-Parsian style (up until the eighth century BCE) e.g. Chogha Zanbil,
    • Median style (from the eighth to the sixth century BCE),
    • Achaemenid style (from the sixth to the fourth century BCE) manifesting in construction of spectacular cities used for governance and inhabitation (such as Persepolis, Susa,Ecbatana), temples made for worship and social gatherings (such as Zoroastrian temples), and mausoleums erected in honor of fallen kings (such as the Tomb of Cyrus the Great),
  • The Parthian style includes designs from the following eras:
    • Seleucid era e.g. Anahita Temple, Khorheh,
    • Parthian era e.g. Hatra, the royal compounds at Nysa,
    • Sassanid era e.g. Ghal'eh Dokhtar, the Taq-i Kisra, Bishapur, Darband (Derbent).

Islamic:

• • The Khorasani style (from the late 7th until the end of the 10th century CE), e.g. Jameh Mosque of Nainand Jameh Mosque of Isfahan,
  • The Razi style (from the 11th century to the Mongol invasion period) which includes the methods and devices of the following periods:
  • Samanid period, e.g. Samanid Mausoleum,
  • Ziyarid period, e.g. Gonbad-e Qabus,
  • Seljukid period, e.g. Kharraqan towers,
  • The Azari style (from the late 13th century to the appearance of the Safavid Dynasty in the 16th century), e.g. Soltaniyeh, Arg-i Alishah, Jameh Mosque of Varamin, Goharshad Mosque, Bibi Khanum mosque inSamarqand, tomb of Abdas-Samad, Gur-e Amir, Jameh mosque of Yazd
  • The Isfahani style spanning through the Safavid, Afsharid, Zand, and Qajarid dynasties starting from the 16th century onward, e.g. Chehelsotoon, Ali Qapu, Agha Bozorg Mosque, Kashan, Shah Mosque, Sheikh Lotf Allah Mosque in Naqsh-i Jahan Square.

The following is a list of World Heritage Sites designed or constructed by Iranians (Persians), or designed and constructed in the style of Iranian architecture:

• Inside Iran:
  • Arg-é Bam Cultural Landscape, Kerman
  • Naghsh-i Jahan Square, Isfahan
  • Damavand, Mazandaran
  • Pasargadae, Fars
  • Persepolis, Fars
  • Tchogha Zanbil, Khuzestan
  • Takht-e Soleyman, West Azerbaijan
  • Dome of Soltaniyeh, Zanjan
  • Behistun Inscription
• Outside Iran:
  • Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasavi, Kazakhstan
  • Historic Centre of Baku
  • Historic Centre of Ganja
  • Historic Centre of Bukhara
  • Historic Centre of Shahrisabz
  • Samarkand - Crossroads of Cultures
  • Citadel, Ancient City and Fortress Buildings of Darband, Daghestan
  • Baha'i Gardens
  • Bibi-Heybat Mosque, Azerbaijan
  • Tuba Shahi Mosque, Azerbaijan