Persian architecture can be considered through the age-old history of the land. It goes back to the late 6th and early 5th millennia BC Persian architecture has been a comprehensive embodiment of Iranian psychology and characteristics in different historical periods.
In studying Persian architecture four distinc, protracted, but continuous periods are distinguished, as follows:
Persian prehistoric architecture till the formation of the first national governmet by the Medes. Persian architecture from the Medes period till the end of Sassanians. Islamic period architecture till the end of Safavi period. Contemporary and present-day Persian architecture.
In connection with the present review of Persian architecture, the reader is reminded of a varying range of other arts applied by the inhabitants of Iran to decorate their different constructions.
In short, such arts are: stone carving, stucco carving and plaster work, painting, tile work, brick work, mirror glasswork, honey comb work, mosaic work, and several other ornamental arts.
On the other hand, one has to consider the exceptional multiformity of buildings in terms of design and application. This diversity has arisen as a result of particular requirements and the rich tastes of Iranian artists through different periods of history.
Iranian artists have proved capable of greeting a wide range of monuments in various branches of architecture, thus providing the world with their unique artistic talents.
It seems rather difficult to classify Iranian architectural works from the earliest periods till the present day. But, the following arrangement might give a vista of such works: prehistoric huts, early villages and towns, fortresses and fortifications, mausoleums, massive ancient palaces, dams and bridges, bazaars, baths, roads, magnificent mosques, towers and minarets, mosques and other religious buildings and sites from the Islamic period, as well as other monuments scattered all over Iran.
Other significant aspects with deep influences on Iranian architecture were the vastness of Iranian plateau with differing climates, climatic conditions, and characteristics of people who had been scattered in various sites.
As an example, the architectural styles at highlands and mountainous areas are different from those at coastal and desert areas. Now based on such an endless and marvelous versatility which may be encountered in fewt countries, here we will have a transient look at Persian architecture to give a simple sketch of it.
Despite its simplicity, the sketch too, would be a rich reflection of the unique aspects of Persian architecture. A discussion of ancient Persian architecture will be impossible without making use of archaeological findings and referring to the comments given by the corresponding experts.
One of the oldest monuments discovered in the Iranian plateau is the painted building of Zaghe Tepe in Qazvin plain. Its history goes back to the late 7th and early 6th millennia BC Considering the availability of materials in prehistoric period, the painted building of Zaghe Tepe has been ornamented and decorated as far as possible.
The building was intended and used for a sort of social gathering and holding of meetings. A great number of platforms and gardenias were provided for those attending the gatherings and meetings. A feature of the building is its fireplace used to heat the interior in cold season, plus a brazier used to roast skewed meat (kabob).
This ancient building was provided with two depositories to keep the tools and equipment, and a smaller chamber as a living room. Walls are painted and decorated with images of wild goat. Most probably, the painted building of Zaghe Tepe had the function of a temple, religious place, and gathering center of the neolithic tribes in Iran.
Tepe Sialk, an important Tell near Kashan, represents another prehistoric site in Iran, whose inhabitants were the initiators of a simple and rudimentary housing technique. In its 5 phases of excavation, remains of buildings were unearthed the oldest of which belongs to the late 6th and early 5th millennia BC.
At the beginning of his settlement in Sialk, man didn't know how to build a house yet, and used to live under huts made of tree branches. Soon, building began with handmade mud brick on the remains of previous settlements.
During the 4th millennia BC, Sialk settlements became more spacious and given doors the installation openings of which are clearly visible. These buildings were made of lumps of earth and mud brick. The rudimentary handmade mud bricks were oval in the shape and dried in the sun.
The architectural decoration saw the walls of rooms painted red. Doors were small and narrow, their heights not exceeding 80-90 cm.
Tepe Hassan near Damghan, Tell-i-lblis within a 72-km distance from Kerman, and Tepe Hasanlu in West Azarbaijan, are among other prehistoric sites of Iran in which architectural monuments of various periods have been excavated and unearthed.
In excavations of Tepe Hasanlu, three massive buildings were discovered, which had been built on similar plans. Their history dates back from 800 BC to 1000 BC The buildings had been provided with entrance gates, paved courtyards, rooms, nooks, and smaller store rooms.
In l-lasanlu architecture, buildings seem to have been wooden (for the first time), square, tower-like structures, with columns which may have been tree trunks and erected on uncut plinths. One room was found to be paved with mud bricks. The interesting point is that another room had been used as kitchen, with a row of platforms and fireplace around it.
One of the most significant 13th century BC architectural works of Iran is the Choga Zanbil Temple (1250 BC) located in 45 km from Susa, an ancient Iranian town on the bank of Karkheh river Province of Khuzestan, southwest Iran.
The temple represents a splendid symbol of a highly developed architecture. The building is square in shape and consists of five stories, each of which is smaller than the one below it giving a conic appearance to the building.
The main temple is constructed on the last floor. Construction materials of the temple are mainly glazed kiln-fired bricks of high quality bound together with a very strong mortar (containing natural bitumen). The mud brick is used between walls and plates.
The western vaults of Choga Zanbil Temple were so skillfully built that at present, even after three thousand years, they are remaining in marvelously good conditions.
The vaults are constructed on prolonged corridors and over internal staircases of the temple, and represent an extraordinary achievement in the architecture of ancient Iran.
What shocks one in the Choga Zanbil architecture, is the initiative of the artists of the period in devising and constructing a potable water treatment system. The water from refinery was used by the worshippers and other dwellers of the city.
No doubt, this system was man's first invention for water treatment, which was first carried out by Iranians. Various researches and numerous detailed studies have been published by the archaeologists and scholars in this connection.
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