The Theory of “Living Time ” in Periodization of Iranian Architectural History
Subject Areas : Urban Design
1 - Assistant Professor, Department of Architectural History and Conservation, School of Architecture and Urban
Development, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
Keywords: Living time, Iranian Architecture, History, Dahr,
Abstract :
The writing of Iranian architectural history has, from its start, followed the principles of western historiography.Portions of this history are well expected to be neglected or unattended when writing of it takes place outside its intellectualframework that essentially reflects the Iranian throught world. To have a truly Iranian architectural historiography, one has tofind the theoretical principles which are deeply rooted in the Iranian Islamic culture. Although pre-modern Iranian historiansnever wrote a history of architecture, they were exponents of historiography during a millennium of cultural flourishing andvigor. Since any sort of historiography, as well as literature, usually is based on principles and ideological views about history andtime, Persian historic texts can be considered as worthy sources regarding theoretical bases on which we can build the Iranianphilosophy of architectural history. Persian prose of the early centuries of Islam is among these sources. One of the common,prominent themes in these texts is the nature of time or history. It is presented as a sensible, living being whose states relate tohuman events and phenomena across time. A new theory of periodization of Iranian architectural history can be drawn basedupon this theory.