From Courtyard to Corridor: The Transformation of Iranian Residential Circulation Features (Case Study: Zand, Qajar, and Pahlavi Periods)
محورهای موضوعی : Urban Design
Erfan Shadravan
1
,
Sara Dashtgard
2
1 - Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture, and Art, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran.
2 - Faculty of Architecture, Islamic Azad University, Hashtgerd Branch, Hashtgerd, Iran.
کلید واژه: Iranian architecture, residential floor plans, Zand period, Qajar period, Pahlavi period, Residential Circulation, spatial organization,
چکیده مقاله :
This paper conducts a comparative analysis of residential floor plans from three pivotal periods in Iranian history: the Zand (1751–1794 CE), Qajar (1789–1925 CE), and Pahlavi (1925–1979 CE) eras. By examining prominent residential buildings from each period, the study investigates the transformation of circulation features, namely courtyards, iwans, corridors, and vestibules (hashtis). Findings reveal a progressive reduction in courtyard centrality and hierarchical access systems during the Zand and Qajar eras, shifting toward linear, corridor-based, and Western-influenced layouts in the Pahlavi period. This change decreased reliance on introverted, multi-courtyard configurations for privacy and climate control, favoring open-plan structures with direct entrances and reduced spatial segregation. This evolution reflects changing approaches to spatial organization, privacy, and formal access in response to modernization and shifting cultural paradigms. The study contributes to understanding the dynamic interplay between architecture and historical context in Iran, highlighting the significance of residential spaces as cultural artifacts. Through a focused architectural lens, this analysis provides insight into the broader historical shifts embedded in built environments.
This paper conducts a comparative analysis of residential floor plans from three pivotal periods in Iranian history: the Zand (1751–1794 CE), Qajar (1789–1925 CE), and Pahlavi (1925–1979 CE) eras. By examining prominent residential buildings from each period, the study investigates the transformation of circulation features, namely courtyards, iwans, corridors, and vestibules (hashtis). Findings reveal a progressive reduction in courtyard centrality and hierarchical access systems during the Zand and Qajar eras, shifting toward linear, corridor-based, and Western-influenced layouts in the Pahlavi period. This change decreased reliance on introverted, multi-courtyard configurations for privacy and climate control, favoring open-plan structures with direct entrances and reduced spatial segregation. This evolution reflects changing approaches to spatial organization, privacy, and formal access in response to modernization and shifting cultural paradigms. The study contributes to understanding the dynamic interplay between architecture and historical context in Iran, highlighting the significance of residential spaces as cultural artifacts. Through a focused architectural lens, this analysis provides insight into the broader historical shifts embedded in built environments.
Alagamy, S. F., Al-Hagla, K., Anany, Y., & Raslan, R. (2019). An integrated approach for analyzing connectivity in atria. Alexandria Engineering Journal, 58(1), 315–324. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aej.2018.12.005
Atabeyoğlu, Ö., & Ozturk, G. B. (2024). Temporal and Spatial Evolution of Architecture. Mimarlık Bilimleri ve Uygulamaları Dergisi, 9(1), 19–43. https://doi.org/10.30785/mbud.1325250
Baghalian, A., Keramati, Q., Soltanzadeh, H., & Matin, M. (2024). Explaining the impact of the Bauhaus approach on the architectural works of Fine Arts students of Tehran University (With emphasis on the Pahlavi period). Bagh-e Nazar, 20(129), 75–90.
Chamanara, M., & Abbasi, F. (2015). Consider the evolution of modern architecture in the buildings affected by the Pahlavi era. EPH - International Journal of Applied Science, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.53555/eijas.v1i1.4
Danesh, J., Movahed, K., & Taghipour, M. (2021). Explaining the concept of spatial hierarchy in the settlement model of the Qajar period (Case-study: Tehran aristocratic houses). Journal of Iranian Architecture & Urbanism, 12(2), 251–263. https://dx.doi.org/10.30475/ISAU.2021.283760.1696
Hajikarimian, P. (2015). Comparative analysis of the late Qajar and the early Pahlavi houses of Rasht. Indian Journal of Fundamental and Applied Life Sciences, 5, 2612–2620.
Hosseini Raviz, S. R., Nik Eteghad, A., Usón Guardiola, E., & Armesto Aira, A. (2015). Iranian courtyard housing: The role of social and cultural patterns in reach the spatial formation in the light of an accentuated privacy. ACE: Architecture, City and Environment, 10(29), 11–30. https://doi.org/10.5821/ACE.10.29.2653
Islami, S. G., Dehghan, D., & Naeini, H. S. (2016). Classification and analysis of stucco decorations in Qajar houses, Tehran, Iran. Journal of Architecture Research, 6(2), 45–50. https://doi.org/10.5923/j.arch.20160602.03
Kakaee, M., & Moztarzadeh, H. (2021). Space creation in Qajar-era houses. Journal of Fine Arts, 26(1), 5–18.
Khatami, S. M., & Boujari, P. (2022). Analyzing the heritage of Tehran's urban façades in the recent century. City, Territory and Architecture, 9(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40410-022-00166-1
Mirinezhad, S. (2013). Romanticism in Contemporary Iranian Architecture (with an Emphasis on the Architecture of the Pahlavi II Period, 1962 -1979). Fine Arts, 18(1), 91–102.
Mohammadi, D. (2019). Ornamental motifs of Haft Rang tiles in the architecture of houses constructed in Shiraz in the Pahlavi era. IU Arts Journal, 12, 291–318. https://doi.org/10.26650/artsanat.2019.12.0017
Momeni, K., Attarian, K., & Ghadrdanegharamelki, R. (2015). Review of decoration works in residential houses of Qajar era in Qom city (Case study: Shakeri House – Qom). Journal of New Findings in Applied Art, 1(1), 1–10.
Najafabadi, R. N., Daneshvar, K., Pakseresht, K., & Pooryousefzadeh, S. (2006). Role of wind in vernacular architecture of hot and humid region of Iran. Texas A&M University. https://oaktrust.library.tamu.edu/handle/1969.1/4540
Neyestani, J., Rahimian, F., & Afhami, R. (2022). The effect of Iran's Qajar archaism on the development of state architecture under the Reza Shah Pahlavi's rule. Journal of the General Union of Arab Archaeologists, 7(2), 144–164. https://doi.org/10.21608/JGUAA2.2022.130669.1103
Rastegar, S., Pedram, B., & Kiani, M. (2020). Conservation-based development approach in identifying urban landscape of Zahedan City during Pahlavi period using layered semiotics. Journal of Iranian Architecture & Urbanism, 11(1), 73–94.
Sharifi, M., & Morid, M. A. S. (2020). A comparative study of the contrast of tradition and modernity in contemporary Iranian architecture, turning to the Qajar and Pahlavi periods. Journal of Architecture and Construction, 3(2), 1–20.
Tahmasbifard, M. (2020). A comparative study on residential architecture in the Qajar era (Case study: Mansions in Tehran). International Journal of Architecture and Urban Development, 10(2), 5–15. https://doi.org/10.30495/IJAUD.2020.15849
Valibeigi, M., Maroofi, S., Danay, S., & Mokhtari, Y. (2022). The Space of Intimacy As the Most Important Islamic Cultural Value in Traditional Iranian Architecture. Chiang Mai University Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities. https://doi.org/10.12982/cmujasr.2020.006
Yekta, Z. A. (2015). Architecture of Iran in Qajar era. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 5(5), 281–291. https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v5-i5/1638
Zahrani, Z. K., & Tabaeian, S. M. (2016). The comparative study of privacy in designing Qajar Dynasty Isfahan's houses and Malaysia's traditional houses. Journal of Design and Built Environment, (Special Issue), 53–63. https://doi.org/10.22452/jdbe.sp2016no1.6
Zarei, M. (2017). Climatic components in Shiraz residential architecture. Bagh-e Nazar, 14(51), 5–16.
