遗产数据库

The Persian House in Central plateau of Iran

摘要: Description  One of the basic and essential needs of humans concerns the possession of a safe shelter, a need which since pre-historic era has been with them up to now. This basic need has been met in

Description

  One of the basic and essential needs of humans concerns the possession of a safe shelter, a need which since pre-historic era has been with them up to now. This basic need has been met in different ways in accordance with the prevalent socio-cultural and geographical conditions. The settlement of man in his own-built environment revolutionized his life bringing about fundamental changes in his lifestyle and his relationship with natural environment. The formation of a structure called house originated from man's ideas and ideology, but the manifestation of this ideology has taken various meanings with the passage of time. In other words, though the various environmental and occupational conditions dictate different housing patterns, but what connects these different realizations of the underlying needs for shelter can be traced back to man's beliefs during the history.

  Referring to Persian House, it is necessary to consider this concept in a wider scope of Iran's cultural geography. Iran is a four-season country enjoying diverse climatic conditions, and these conditions have had a great impact on Iranian architectural style, as a result of which we can find thatched houses in the north, porch-houses in the west and houses with a central yard in the hot desert parts of Iran. Though climate can be regarded as the cause of variety in architectural styles, but what is shared among all these various forms concerns the family and its relationship with the Persian house. In fact, Persian house is a gathering place for the family members, a place to serve their material and spiritual needs.

  Water, tree, and sky are valued in Persian House; therefore, yard is also valuable. Parents and grandparents are also appreciated and each one holds its unique position within this unique private boundary. In Persian House, every moment is regarded as invaluable and that is why sunrise and sunset, spring and autumn are felt and comprehended in it. Human is a value in Persian House and so is his life.

  Persian House provides a place for production, education and transfer of traditions and customs; it is where man is invited to lead a life.

  The first Persian House was built in Neolithic Era when man was engaged in agricultural and cattle-breeding activities. Afterwards, the architecture of Persian House witnessed changes and progresses in the design and configuration of spaces in different historical periods. Gradually, with the progress of knowledge and technology and the introduction of new tools, man managed to create special coverings based on the materials available in his immediate environment, houses which ultimately turned into various forms of vaults and architectural patterns with the passage of time. The extant archeological evidence show that the "Char Sofe House- a square or rectangular shaped house with interconnected rooms- goes back to pre-Islamic era", kiosk being another expansion of it. With the enlargement of the dimension of Char Sofe Houses and the expansion of its spaces, the central parts could not be covered and thus this space was transformed into yards. In the new design, roofed summer houses were located on one side of the yard and rooms were built on the other side. There is a house approximately with the same design in Persepolis, in which there are small porches on one side of the yard and rooms on the other, a replica of which has been observed in the City of Kashan.

  Major changes in the housing design go back to cultural evolutions taking place in post-Islam era in Iran. As a result of these new developments, Iran witnessed dramatic and unique samples, some of which are architectural masterpieces in their own right. To provide comfort for its residents, all materials, construction techniques and architectural patterns were deployed for the mere function of a space called house. Based on the above, the development of new house patterns in Iran can be attributed to the changes in ideas concerning the materials application and the emergence of new construction techniques and skills.

  Concern for the environmental conditions and cultural concepts can clearly be seen in all the components of a traditional Iranian house including the entrance space, porch, private space (interior), guest space, central yard and frontage. The original architectural patterns and symbols of Iran's traditional houses which go back to the pre-Islamic architecture were modified, expanded and applied in post-Islamic era.

  The plan of the rooms within the residential context and configuration of internal spaces are all based on these patterns and environmental features. The external façade of Persian House is simple without any windows or decorations and its only distinctive feature relates to the entrance door. The entrance consists of a door embedded deep inside the wall and is identified with various ornaments on its surface. Immediately after the entrance gate, there is a space called "hashti or vestibule" which separates the private areas of the house from guests areas, access to each of these spaces is made through a roofed corridor. Passing through the corridor, one enters the central yard which is regarded as one of the main architectural features of Persian House. Iranian architects used to organize different parts of the house around one or several central yards, and by doing so, they created a private building separate from the outside world, and "Hashti / vestibule" was the only linking between the two. Being constructed around the yard with their small gardens and water pools, these houses were like a mini paradise for their users, giving them a controlled micro-climate and a safe shelter against all environmental risks. In fact, the entrance door, vestibule, corridor and yard formed a hierarchy for a private access to different spaces of the house.

  Traditional architects tended to shift all ornaments and decorations to the interior of the house and the external frontage did reveal nothing but a simple entrance door. They attributed this lack of glamour to the Iranian culture which disapproves any form of showoff. As a result of this approach, there was no distinction between the houses of the poor and the rich, the only difference could be the entrance doors. Hospitality being of paramount importance in Iranian culture, the exterior or the guest section of the house was filled with the most luxurious items. The internal yard was accessible only through a meandering corridor to prevent anyone having a furtive look at the interior. All these factors led the architecture of traditional Persian House in the central plateau to be regarded as introverted (or solitary) architecture. The design of summer and winter spaces, cellars, wind-towers, porch, sash windows and living spaces were designed by considering the climatic features and conditions such as sunlight, wind blow, green areas, precipitation and etc. Close attention was paid to cultural concepts in the design of Persian House, and these concepts ranged from the door knocker to the configuration and overall format of main spaces. In fact, the Persian House was a perfect and unique model of human habitat in which well-represented cultural patterns can be seen.

  The development trend of the Persian House can be depicted on the basis of events occurring in different historical periods. However, in general, considering the houses left from various historical periods up to now, Iranian urban style and house architecture underwent radical changes since the mid of Qajar dynasty (the time of Naser-e-din Shah), a change which was triggered by the enhanced political contacts with Europe.


分类: 中文 相关遗产点 遗产数据库
关键词:

最新评论


img

地址:陕西省西安市碑林区友谊西路68号小雁塔历史文化公园
邮件:secretariat#iicc.org.cn
电话:(+86)029-85246378