Abstract

Because of Iran’s vast area and variations in its climate, forms of architecture also vary widely within the country. However, the scope of understanding of Iranian architecture is limited, and the form of Iranian architecture that is currently known to the world is that which uses loam, found in the center of Iran and around the large deserts. To remedy this general lack of information about Iranian architecture, this research, conducted from 2003 to 2005, focuses on architecture in the north of the country and on the Iranian side of the Caspian Sea. A few books have examined the architecture of the region, but their main focus was the region as a whole and did not give meaningful attention to their architectural styles.

Traditional architecture in Javaherdeh, Photo: Dashti, M.

 

The architecture of the regions this study seeks to examine has been affected by two separate waves of outside influence. The first wave of influence is called “mediator”, and its influences come from other regions of Iran and cultures from outside of Iran. The second wave of influence, called “modern” came in the 20^th century and has less in common with traditional architecture, while the median architecture blended with the traditional architecture of the region.

Mediator architecture influence from central Iran in Amlash, Photo: Dashti, M.

 

Mediator architecture influence from East Asia in Gomishan, Photo: Dashti, M.

 

The first section of the research explains the traditional architecture using several examples, organized from the east to west side of the sea. The architecture in this region has several faces which are superficially the same at first glance, but the work explores the differences to make the reader understand.

 

Modern architecture in Bandar Gaz, Photo: Dashti, M.

The mediator architecture is the subject for the second part of the research, which consists of two main influences from inside and outside of the country. As for architectural influences from central Iran, there are many surviving examples of buildings from the Qajars rule in Gorgan, Sari, Babol, Rasht, and other areas, and from the Safaviden rule in Sari and Behshahr. These examples are primarily in the east and centre of Irans’ Caspian region. Foreign influence is only seen in the west and east of the region, with Asian characteristics appearing in the east and Russian and European characteristics in the west. In both the east and the west, the foreign architectural influence has blended with the local architecture. The most important cities in which the mediator architecture came into being are Gomishan in the east and Astara in the west.

In the third section, the work explores modern architecture from the 20^th century that appeared during the Pahlavi rule. At the beginning of the century, before the Second World War, one of the first rail lines was built in the north east, near the Caspian Sea, bringing modernization and new government building to the cities it passed. In a short period, the modernization brought new city halls, train stations, police stations, hotels, and houses to Behshahr, Shahi, Bandar Gaz, Sari, Gorgan, and other cities. The spirit of modernization affected other areas of the Caspian Sea as well, in places such as Bandar Pahlavi, Chalous, Noshahr, Babolsar, and Ramsar, and the process continued in the time of Mohammad Reza Shah, producing hospitals, factories, and large housing projects.

Because of indiscriminate demolition practices, valuable architecture is in danger. The Iranian government is squarely to blame for this, as it has no plans for the development of this region. Mediator architecture is of particular importance as it presents a record of cultural exchanges between the people of this region and outside influences.

One of the main factors that contribute to the destruction of valuable architecture is domestic tourism by wealthy residents of Tehran. In places where the most tourism occurs, in Irans’ northern coast of the Caspian Sea, the owners of rental homes often make repairs or modifications that value the buildings’ specific architecture. The government does not oversee the repair and maintenance of these historic buildings, so many are lost. The further these cities are from Tehran, the less damaged they sustain from tourism.

To date, books and research articles relevant to urban design and architecture of cities in the north of Iran are few, and none of the existing work sets out specifically to describe and catalogue the architecture of lesser-known areas. To rectify this, the aim of this research is to examine the architecture of commonly overlooked cities and detail their architecture in a meaningful way that provides the reader with plans, pictures, and explanations of the architecture.

This region is meant to be an introduction to the different architectural styles on the southern edge of the Caspian Sea, and represents the beginning of more research to come.