---

Iran is an ancient country with a long history and record of different cultures and civilizations. The architecture started in Iranian plateau since 8000 years ago. The earliest houses were made of sun-dried bricks and in square forms. Gradually, techniques and constructions materials were evolved and various forms were invented. Concept of symmetry emerged and functionality brought new structures in the spectrum.

Islamic Architecture Owes Iranian Architecture

Due to the fact that Islam started in an area where architecture was extremely simple and premature to come up with the needs of the new religion's temples, the nation converted into the new religion had to go to other nations, who were highly advanced at their own times, to learn from them.

Persian empire ruled by Sassanians at the time of Arabs' conquest of neighboring civilizations, was the closest country from which Muslims could learn. The major elements of Islamic architecture, as we know them today, were all present in Persian architecture.

Get Exposed to the Origins by Traveling in Iran

You can take a trip to Iran and visit the wealth of Iranian architecture by going to different parts of it. From ancient sights or pre-Islam era to the post-Islam buildings, you can see how mosques, mausoleums, schools, etc were evolved throughout the centuries.

After you see the splendid examples of ancient palaces and temples in Iran, you get to know how advanced the engineering and designing skills had been in Iran. You learn about various elements like domes, arches, niches, minarets, staircases, columned halls, etc in Achaemenians and Sassanians' palaces. You learn about Zoroastrians' temples as well as decorative arts inside the structures.

Ancient Iranians used the same expertise with the new faith, in early post-Islam period, to build new temples, mosques. They put into practice the same skills of glazing, planning, arch and dome building, inscriptions, etc in the new buildings.

By traveling in Iran, you can learn about the origin of Islamic architecture as well as the evolution of this genre. The major observations during your traveling in Iran could be summarized as below:

Early Post-Islam Structures: As it took about a couple of centuries for the Islamic architecture to be evolved, the earliest religious buildings of the Muslims were a clear continuation of Sassanians' styles. For instance, the Friday mosques of Isfahan, Nain and Ardestan are good examples of building on the foundation of pre-Islam fashions.

Seljuq Structures: The mosques were initially built with more brick-works and less glazed decorations, but as the glazing technique was becoming more popular and widespread across Iran, more colorful shining sections could be found at the religious sights. The structures were more horizontally stretched and spacious.

Ilkhanid Structures: Obviously, built upon the previous methods, the buildings of this era were more vertically oriented than Seljuq period. More extensive glazing skills led to lots of ceramic decorations and highly elaborate buildings. Inscriptions were more varied I terms of the variety of scripts used in them.

Timurid Structures: In this era, different kinds of vaulting and a precise calculation of huge size and dimension were chosen as a fundamental part of the structures. The drum of domes started to be unprecedentedly heightened and domes changed into glyph forms. The exteriors of domes were decorated with tile works bearing various designs and calligraphy.

Safavid Structures: The emphasis on the greatness of buildings started during the Timurids and continued under this period. Safavid architecture was in fact the pinnacle of proficiency and practice of Iranian architects where traditional forms were straightforwardly used in breathtaking scales.

Qajar Structures: Islamic architecture was evolved by continuing the Safavid styles in smaller scales. Many mosques were erected during Qajar dynasty occupying a vast area in four-eyvan plan and having a network of cupolas and windows. Several Safavid works have been covered under the Qajars renovations.

Take a Professional Itinerary for Your Trip

To be able to see the variety required to cover key sights as pieces of the puzzle to learn about the evolution of Islamic architecture, you need to put your trust in a proficient well-experienced tour operator that is aware of such information. This will help you make a wise use of your trip to Iran.

---