A Survey on Completion Process of Masonry Domestic Technology of

A Survey on Completion Process of Masonry Domestic Technology of

Building Forms in Iran’s Cultural Heritage

¹SETAREH YAMINI, ²SHIRIN TAJMEHR, ³NASIM NAJAFGHOLIPOUR, 4FARROKH

ABDOLLAHZADEH BINA, 5AHADOLLAH A'ZAMI

¹,²,³,5 Department of Architecture 4Department of Civil Engineering

¹Islamic Azad University-Sarab Branch, ²Islamic Azad University-Meshkinshahr Branch

³Young Researchers Club of Tabriz, Islamic Azad University-Tabriz Branch,

4Islamic Azad University-Ahar Branch, 5Islamic Azad University-International Jolfa Branch

IRAN

¹[email protected], ² [email protected], ³[email protected],

[email protected], [email protected]

Abstract: - One of the goals of creating building forms from technological and engineering point of view was to fulfill

technological and living needs, but, from the very old ages most of the Iranian buildings were built to fulfill several

goals such as structural, mental, metaphysical and arranging needs. In addition having interest in high buildings (high

columns of Achaemenid Palaces and the glory of Tagh-e-Kasra in Tisfoun) and humbleness which is seen in first

Islamic buildings (such as Tarikkhaneh in Damghan) shows us mental needs of builders in Iran. From the other hand

any division of building form should be as physical identity of building with its mechanical characteristics regarding

the definition of building form. Thus, any simple or composed form of building could have two characteristics: one is

the physical characteristic which is composed of building material and building method and the other is geometrical

identity which shows geometrical form of the building. Building forms of this category has been used as main

elements of building in different historical periods. Some of these forms have originated in their own lands and some

of them are copied and brought from other lands and changed to be compatible with Iran situation. Main object of this

article is to examine the completion process of domestic technology of building form in Iran’s cultural heritage.

Key-Words: - Forms, Masonry Architecture, Building Method, Cultural Heritage

1 Introduction Ancient Iranian never considered physical forms

separate from spiritual phenomenon but rather they saw

any of natural and super-natural form as a part of one

general picture and a model of general being. It was

reached to an extent that with relation to general and

partial being (Mahin and Kahin world) it was considered

that between human and big environmental possibilities

there were relation and form similarities. In after Islam

Iran, the above view appeared as “Mahjan” and

“Kahjan” theory in Islamic thinking ideology.

There is a kind of oneness and close relation between

parts and general being in architectural works, art

collection and technological and scientific works of Iran;

therefore, building form in Iran is an incarnation of

thinking skeleton of Iranian in different historical

periods and it shows life and meta-physical beliefs

which have their root in past periods of lives of these

people. General idea of this article is to study the

initiation, changes, expansion, and completion process

of building forms in Iran and a belief explanation of this

completion process.

2 Effective Criteria on Generation and

Completion of Building Forms in Iran From pre-historic times up to the present the

technological history of Ian has experienced the

initiation and completion of different types of building

forms. Some these form had short life and have

disappeared from history scene after some time, while

some others have completed gently and have gone into

other lands and had effect on the changes of some

factors.

2.1 The Goals of Initiators and Builders In the history of building forms in Iran, the rulers and

worshipers had significant rule. At any ways the creators

(initiators or engineers) of building forms in different

periods of history had their own goals which have had

endless effect on the history of initiation and completion

process of building forms. All remaining of different

buildings, dams and bridges of different historical times

in Iran does show the completion process of building

forms to fulfill technical needs. Different architectural

styles in Achaemenid, Sasanid, Ashkanid and Islamic

times and use of different building methods in these

times are a sign of diversity of completion branches of

Latest Trends on Cultural Heritage and Tourism

ISSN: 1792-4308 203 ISBN: 978-960-474-205-9

building forms. Fulfilling building needs has not been

the sole goal of initiators and builders in Iran. One of the

most manifesting aspects of the relation of old times

with meta-physics which has appeared in building model

of the Iranian is Zighorat Chighazenbil in Ilam which is

a sign of greatness and higher power than the power of

the world and a vehicle to have meta-physical relation

with higher powers. Symbolic values related to Takht

Jamshid which has been a religious center and Soleyman

Mosque (religious center in Ashkanid and Sasanid

times) which has worshipping aspect and fire-worship

temples of Sasanid times are examples of creating

mosques’ and building forms to fulfill spiritual needs

[1]. Later in Islamic periods the dome shape of the

ceiling fulfilled the meta-physical relations of Iranian.

2.2 Building Materials Realizing building needs during technological history

required selection of special building methods and

building material in its own place. Therefore building

material had significant dominance in creation and

completion of building forms in Iran. Geographical and

weather appropriates were also of effective factors in

historical line of usage and supersede of materials.

Shapeless mud is one of the primitive kinds of

building material. Completion process of soil material

from shapeless mud to glazed bricks and tiles have a

consistent history in Iran as all forms of mud and brick

material has been used in many building forms in Iran.

Due to lack of wood in some area and diversity of brick

material, the builders could construct the structures in

different geometrical forms which had the wanted

beauty [2].

Stone and stone material would bestow stable and

eternal being to building forms from technical and

mental point of view. In Achaemenid buildings, stone

material would be put on each other as big blocks

without using mortar and connected to each other using

wood or iron girths. Initiation and prevalence of

different building mortars such as mud, plaster, lime,

mortar board and cement had outstanding role in

completion process and prevalence of building forms.

From the other hand wood material had their own

special historical process as historical evidences show

the affluence of wood in Iran in ancient and Achaemenid

times. Most of the columns of Susa palace, Takht

Jamshid and Pasarghad and all bars of buildings have

been of wood. By the changes in weather and

disappearance of jungles there was a decrease in use of

wood as a main building material. After all, wood

continued to be used as secondary building material in

Ashkanid, Sasaniod and Islamic times. One of the main

functions of wood in those buildings was its use as

building halter and hank. Metals such as steel were used

as metal girths to connect building pieces and to make

building and machine tools. In Achaemenid and Sasanid

times, lead was also used to strengthen iron connections

and fortify concrete of bridge bases.

2.3 Technical Principles, Tools and Building

Methods Historical evidences in Iran speak of great engineering

work builders’ knowledge to static principles and use of

technical principles in a sensible and qualifying way to

create samples such as Achaemenid palaces, Ashkanid

domes, Sasanid and Islamic mosques. In technical

history of Iran building methods have been different

from a building to another. Building techniques and

different arched, bulkhead and dome forms of building

are considered as inventions and initiatives of Iranian

builders. At the same time environmental factors such as

political, economical, social and religious conditions

shall not be neglected.

3 Initiation and Completion Different

Building Form Different types of buildings and structural forms are

composed of more simple building pieces which can be

called first building material or simple building forms.

Since each building form is a physical entity and has its

own mechanical characteristics, all building form

division should be done from this point of view.

3.1 First Building Form From pre-historic times, building forms were

constructed as shelter and houses by indigenous of Iran

plateau using stone and wooden tools. By getting more

experienced from one hand and increase of needs from

the other hand, regularly the changes in primitive forms

initiated. Non-geometrical forms were slowly changed

by more orderly geometrical forms and building material

was used more mindfully and building methods was also

applied in a more technical ways.

3.2 Box Building Forms Building material had important role in constructing box

forms. Even though construction of first building forms

was done by using box form but the more technical,

engineering and matured building elements can be found

in Achaemenid palaces (Figure 1). Box structures are

structures composed of number of bars (horizontal or

beveled elements) and columns (mostly vertical

elements). Box type buildings bear the shape of imposed

load through “bending” mechanism.

Building bars and beams of Achaemenid buildings

were made of wood and columns which were mainly of

stone, compiled on each other without using mortar and


ISSN: 1792-4308 204 ISBN: 978-960-474-205-9

connected to one another using iron griths. Stone

columns of Apadana palace in Takh Jamshid was 20

meter high and 2 meter diameter and these two numbers

show the thinness and height of those stone columns

which is very significant from engineering and static

point of view. Weight of the roof was endured by

wooden bars which were put in column capital. There

were pieces in column capitals which were incurved as

cow head and the head of wooden bars were placed

inside of them. From mechanical point of view these

pieces and their placement is of lost of interest from the

view points of stability of building form and spread of

pressed power (Figure 2).

Fig.1: Form of box buildings in Iran (first one thousand

year B.C)

Fig.2: Column forms in Achaemenid times

3.3 Arched Shape Building Forms (Vaults,

Domes and Arches) One of the factors of prevalence of arched building

forms such as domes, vaults and arches and their

composition has been shortage or rarity of wooden and

stone material. From geometrical point of view vault is

achieved through slipping curve in line with straight line

which is vertical to arched plate and it is sometimes

called cradle vault or vault only. The dome shape is

provided through circulation of arched curve round its

axis. Therefore, from the geometric point of view vault

shape forms as more technical and closer to power

curves which are complete curves of building forms and

they are advantageous compared to box shape forms.

3.3.1 Vault

Initiation of vault in Miyanroudan goes back to three

thousand years before Christ. But the structure of arc

shape forms became common in Iran from Ashkanid

time and it reached to a degree of technical completion

in Sasanid times. Annular barrel vaults which were built

in ashkanid and Sasanid timeswere generally of two

kinds: one of them was constructed by the help of stunt

box and it usually had half-circle shape and the other

was the arcs which were constructed using layer-sticking

method without stunt boxes (Figure 3). One of the best

and perfect samples of Sasanid vaults which were built

using this method and without stunt box and is

considered to be the biggest vaulted roof constructed

with unarmed building material is Tagh Kasra in Tisfoun

near Baghdad. After Sasanid times and during different

Islamic periods the vaulted building forms kept to be

common as changed forms and samples of this kind of

building can be seen in mosques, Bazaar and many other

buildings which were built in Islamic periods [3].

3.3.2 Dome

Appearance of building forms in Iran goes back to the

very ancient times around three centuries BC in royal

tomb of OUR located in Miyanroudan. Appearance and

completion of dome shape building forms in Iran has

been due to shortage of wood. In addition to the signs

found in Ashouri cities in periods before Achaemenid

times, stone carvings are found in plate dome and

parabolic shape in mountain; this shows that the people

of that time were familiar with dome building form and

the function of this form to cover roofs.

Fig.3: Karkheh porch; a sample of building system or

phenomenal dome

Dome shape forms were always sign of meta-physics

and heavenly powers and circle shape of sky, moon and

planets strengthened these beliefs. Dome shape forms of

Sasanid times which were circle, oval and parabolic

shape, high domes of Moghol and Teimouri times, onion

and sag domes show diversity of domes which in turn

show consistent attention of Iranian people to these

kinds of structures. One of the related matters to dome

shape building forms whose solution is considered as

one of the biggest finding of engineering world is

placement of moving dome on a four angle base. After

passage of centuries Iranian engineers got to the


ISSN: 1792-4308 205 ISBN: 978-960-474-205-9

conclusion that for solving this problem means to

change a square base into circular base a third shape is

needed. Therefore, in the beginning small arches were

drawn in the corners of square plan and changed it into

multi-angle shape and continued it till the shape was

close to circle shape [4]. In this way the shape which

appeared in the corners of square got cone shape Figure

4). This shape which was known as labyrinth enabled

the constructors to easily construct circular dome on four

angle base (Figure 5).

Fig.4: Construction method of Iranian dome using

labyrinth system

Fig.5: An Iranian dome constructed on square base using

labyrinth system

Labyrinth system which was described above appeared

in Ashkanid times, gradually completed and got other

forms. The buildings constructed in later times and

Islamic period includes different types of this system. In

Sasanid times four walls was gradually replaced with

four arcs where the load of dome transferred to four

angle columns and these columns were connected to

each other with four arches (Figure 6). As examples of

this kind of four arch building we can name a building

coincident with Firouz Abad palace in Gira valley in

Farash Band which is remaining as a small building and

another example is Niasar fire temple.

One of the outstanding points about dome shape

building forms is their static characteristic. Geometrical

form of these domes is in a shape that the least tensile

stress is created in them. From the completion point of

view dome shape buildings are superior to box type and

even arc type buildings. Samples of Iranian domes with

their own technical and architectural characteristics are

shown below (see Figure 7).

Fig.6: Building shape of dome of one of the rooms in

Sarvestan Palace (Sasanid times)

Fig.7: Some samples of Iranian dome forms

3.3.3 Arch

Even though from geometrical and physical point of

view, arch is one of the main elements of arc and dome

shapes regarding time the appearance and completion of

it has not been before arced and dome form. Generally

base of each dome or arc creates an arch; therefore, what

matters in studying completion process of arches is their

geometrical shape and their behavior which is reflected

in mechanical function of arc and dome created by

circulation or movement of it.

First type of arched forms is found in OUR area in

Mianroudan of Iran (3000 BC) whose geometrical shape

is arched but its behavior is not considered as real arch,

because mechanism of load transfer in it is not through

axis power and creation of side thrust. First step to

completion of the artificial arch toward natural arch was

taken by putting two diagonal and interlacing stones on

the opening. Gradually this method was completed and

arches were constructed through arranging stone or brick

pieces with interlacing lines in one point or points; these

arches are known as Voussior arches (Figure 8). Iranian

arches remain from two centuries BC in Shoush and

later in Sasanid times they were constructed by the help

of formwork of circle shape arches used for capitals

(Figure 9). From mechanical and engineering point of

view sharp point arcs and arches are more stable and


ISSN: 1792-4308 206 ISBN: 978-960-474-205-9

stronger than circle shape arcs and arches of the same

type [5]. In some old Iranian buildings thick walls were

deleted by invention of flying buttress; half arches which

surrounded main arc or arch from sides. These

inventions became come later in European countries and

the basis of Gothic style was formed. Another method of

absorbing this thrust is through using tensile element

named “Mahar” (halter).

Fig.8: Arch and vault construction system of Ashkanid

time; a sample of which is used in Hetra palace

Fig.9: Building method of one arc with formwork and

through using abutments

4 Other building Form As it was said in the beginning when we say building

forms we do not just mean architectural forms but it

includes different physical forms as well. In a precise

classification of building types and their history in Iran

we can name forms such as trussed, wheel, power

generating machines (wind and water wheels), air

catchers, ships and different kinds of buildings

(aqueduct, walls, castles, brisges, dams and

fortifications) [6].

5 Iranian Building Styles Building styles which are created through use of simple

and complex building forms are very diverse in technical

history of Iran and we will point to it in continuation of

this article.

5.1 High Plate Constructing the building on foundation or high plate

started from seventh and eighth centuries BC in northern

parts of Iran and it reached to its highest glory in

Achaemenid times. Before starting to construct the

building, in this style, a long foundation was constructed

using building material or the natural condition of land

was used as higher base of the building. In any ways the

main building was constructed after creation of high

foundation. This building style preserved its use in other

architectural history of Iran. Samples of this style of

historical buildings can be named as Shoush and Takht-

e-Jamshid (Achaemenid), Ghasr-e-Shirin (Sasanid),

Ghonbade Sorkh in Maragheh (Saljoughi), Ghaffarieh

Dome of Maragheh (Mogholi), Chehel Stoun Palace of

Isfahan (Safavid), Sun palace in Kalat-e-Naderi

(Afsharieh) and tomb of Karim Khan Zand (Zandieh)

[7].

5.2 Apadana One of the styles which has appeared since the first

historical periods in this land and has got different

shapes through centuries is the building style called

Apadana. Generally Apadana is a style which is open

from one side and closed from three other sides and

relates to rooms and saloons through doors. Apadana

building style was used in architecture in Achaemenid

times. Roof of Apadana was put on 36 columns in Takht

Jamshid. In tomb of Darioush and other Hakhamneshid

kings in Naghsh Rostam this style is created in mountain

as dugouts. Use of Apadana style was followed in

different forms in residential and public buildings of Iran

in later periods (see Figure 10).

Fig.10: Apadana in Shoush Palace


ISSN: 1792-4308 207 ISBN: 978-960-474-205-9

5.3 Porch Characteristics of building style of porch are like

Apadana style with a difference that ceiling of porch is

usually not straight and is composed of arched shape

buildings. Sasanid buildings such as Kasra porch,

Karkheh porch and Gira porch which has got the name

of porch have these characteristics and are samples

where this building style is clearly used in them and are

named after it. Porch building style became completely

common in Iran after Islam and most of the mosques,

houses and public buildings had porches in a way that

connected to building from inside or through internal

parts of building [8].

5.4 Dome on a Multi-angle Base Style of dome on multi-angle base which was created

from Ashkanid and Sasanid time is of Iranian

characteristic. Labyrinth system which is one of the

main characteristics of this style has simple forms in the

beginning of its appearance and invention but gradually

in later times some changes were made to increase its

beauty and for decoration purposes.

5.5 Four-vault Four-vault system is composed of four columns which

are related to each other through four-vault and on them

annular barrel vault is put. Four-vault building style

which has in fact appeared since Ashkanid and Sasanid

times is one of the well developed dome shapes on multi

angle base; generally seen in Sasanid fire temples [9] In

after Islam periods this style was used in building

mosques and sacred places (see Figure 11).

5.6 Four Porch Style Appearance of four porch style dates back to Ashkanid

times. In buildings of this style such a Ashour Palace,

general plan of the building was square shape with four

porches situated in four angles of the square and opened

from outside of the building to inside [10].

Fig.11: Four-vault in Niyasar, (Sassanid times)

7 Conclusion In Iranians’ point of view the world and its elements

were beings of related nature and there was eternal

relation between different scales of different forms.

Building forms and styles of Iran are studies in this

article from Ashkanid, Achaemenid, Sasanid till Islamic

period and in spite of historical evolutions they have

always preserved their characteristics and entity and this

Iranian entity has always embedded in roots of building

styles which are created and developed in this land and

are its cultural heritage. In architectural and technical

works of Iranians technique, art and knowledge never

got separated from each other and fenced separately,

rather these three always gathered and by the efforts of

constructors and engineers a work of high quality and

new characteristic was created. Seeing these weighted

works, to some extent we can understand thinking way

of Iranians about world and the relation of its elements

with each other and the unity of excellent elements and

recognize materialistic forms as incarnation of this

thinking framework.

References:

[1] Pop, A., Iran Architecture-Conquest of Form and

Color, Yasavoli Publications, 1987.

[2] Zomorshidi, H., Iran Architecture-Understanding of

Iranian Masonry Construction Materials, Azadeh

Publication, 2006.

[3] Abolghasemi, L., Art and Architecture of Iran,

Urban Rehabilitation & Renovation Organization

Publications, 2005.

[4] Memariyan, Gh., Vault Structures in Iranian Islamic

Architecture, Iranian University of Science and

Technology Publications, 1989.

[5] Khatibi-Shahidi, H., Urartian Civilization, I.C.H.O.

Publications, 2004.

[6] Haeri, M., Qanat in Iran, Cultural Research

Publications, 2008.

[7] Azhand, Y., Islamic Period of Iran Architecture,

Samt Publications, 2003.

[8] Memariyan, Gh., Introduction to the Iranian Islamic

Architecture, Iranian University of Science and

Technology Publications, 2002.

[9] Kiani, M., Islamic Art and Architecture, Samt

Publication, 2001.

[10] Memariyan, Gh., A Survey on Theoretical

Essentials of Iranian Architecture, Sorush-e-Danesh

Publications, 2006.


ISSN: 1792-4308 208 ISBN: 978-960-474-205-9

Documents

A Survey on Completion Process of Masonry Domestic Technology of