Iranian architecture

Iranian architecture, also called Persian architecture, is the style of building used in Iran and nearby areas like West Asia, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. This style of building goes back more than 5,000 years and can be seen from Turkey through Iraq to places like Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Buildings in Iran come in all sizes and uses, from simple houses to huge palaces and mosques.

As cities like the capital, Tehran, grew quickly, many old buildings were torn down to make space for new ones. But even with these changes, Iranian architecture remains special. The American historian Arthur Pope said that architecture has always been the greatest art form of Iran, both before and after Islam. Iranian buildings are known for their beautiful shapes, clever ways of building arches and domes, and wonderful decorations that are unique and admired around the world.

General characteristics

Traditional Iranian architecture has a long history that has stayed mostly the same, even through difficult times. Experts say that even small buildings have a special quality, and the way they look is clear and easy to understand. Big ideas and simple shapes make Iranian buildings special, and details can surprise you if you look closely.

Arg-e Bam, a historic citadel and a major example of earthen architecture, built mainly from cob and adobe

People in Iran have used what is available to build for a very long time. Heavy clays found in many places helped create early building methods, like shaped mud that dries in the sun. This method is still used today. Lots of clay and strong mortar also made it possible to build with brick.

Some designs in Iranian architecture have stayed the same throughout history of Iran. You can see this in the size of buildings and their strong, simple shapes. Other common features include high-arched portals inside a recess, columns with special tops, and certain plans and designs that appear in many types of buildings, no matter who built them or when.

Persian-style column at ancient Persepolis, with capital sculpted in double-bull form

The porch, or talar, seen in old tombs near Persepolis, shows up in temples and even modern places like tea-houses. The dome with four arches, common in old times, is still found in many places in Iran today. Ideas like towers reaching toward the sky and inner courtyards with pools are also still used.

Cities in old Iran were sometimes planned in a circular city plan, like Hatra and Gor. Other cities, like Bam and Zaranj, used a square layout.

Iranian architecture can be grouped into different styles over time. One group is from ancient times, including styles from the Achaemenid period like Persepolis and temples. Later styles include designs from the Parthian and Sasanian periods, such as Hatra and Taq Kasra.

In Islamic times, styles developed in different areas and periods. Examples include the Khorasani style from the 7th to 10th century, the Razi style from the 11th century to the Mongol invasions, and the Isfahani style from the 16th century onward, featuring famous buildings like Chehel Sotoun and the Shah Mosque in Naqsh-e Jahan Square.

Pre-Islamic architecture

Main articles: Achaemenid architecture and Sasanian architecture

Sub-periods

Pasargadae

According to Mohammad Karim Pirnia, the ancient architecture of Iran can be divided into the following periods.

Pre-Parsian style

The pre-Parsian style is an early way of building that was used in the Iranian Plateau until around 800 BC, during the time of the Median Empire. Old examples of this style include Teppe Zagghe near Qazvin, Chogha Zanbil, Tepe Sialk, Shahr-e Sukhteh, and Ecbatana.

[Sialk](/wiki/Sialk) necropolis. 3000–4000 BC

[Chogha Zanbil](/wiki/Chogha_Zanbil) ziggurat. 1250 BC

Parsian style

The "Persian style" is a way of building that started around 800 BC during the Median Empire and continued through the Achaemenid Empire until Alexander the Great arrived in the 300s BC.

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Palace of Darius in Susa

Persepolis

Pasargad

Naqsh-e Rostam

Parthian style

Main article: Parthian style

This style of building includes designs from the Seleucid (310–140 BCE), Parthian (247 BCE – 224 CE), and Sassanid (224–651 CE) times, with its highest point in the Sassanid period. Examples include Qal'eh Dokhtar, the royal compounds at Nisa, Anahita Temple, Khorheh, Hatra, the Taq Kasra, Bishapur, and the Palace of Ardashir in Ardeshir Khwarreh (Firuzabad).

Islamic architecture

Early Islamic period (7th–9th centuries)

The Islamic era began with the formation of Islam under the leadership of Muhammad in early 7th-century Arabia. The Arab-Muslim conquest of Persia began soon afterwards and ended with the region coming under the control of the Rashidun Caliphs, followed by the Umayyad Caliphs after 661. Early Islamic architecture was heavily influenced by Byzantine architecture and Sasanian architecture. Umayyad architecture (661–750) drew on elements of these traditions, mixing them together and adapting them to the requirements of the new Muslim patrons.

After the overthrow of the Umayyads in 750 and their replacement by the Abbasid Caliphate, the caliphate's political center shifted further east to the new capital of Baghdad, in present-day Iraq. Partly as a result of this, Abbasid architecture was even more influenced by Sasanian architecture and by its roots in ancient Mesopotamia. During the 8th and 9th centuries, the power and unity of the Abbasid Caliphate allowed architectural features and innovations from its heartlands to spread quickly to other areas of the Islamic world under its influence, including Iran.

Features from the Umayyad period, such as vaulting, carved stucco, and painted wall decoration, were continued and elaborated in the Abbasid period. The four-centred arch, a more sophisticated form of the pointed arch, is first attested during the 9th century in Abbasid monuments at Samarra in Iraq, such as the Qasr al-Ashiq palace. It became widely used in later Iranian architecture. Samarra also saw the appearance of new decorative styles, which rendered the earlier vegetal motifs of Sasanian and Byzantine traditions into more abstract and stylized forms, as exemplified by the so-called "beveled" style. This style subsequently spread to other regions, including Iran.

Few of the major mosques built during this early Islamic period in Iran have survived in something close to their original form. Remains of a mosque at Susa, probably from the Abbasid period, show that it had a hypostyle prayer hall (i.e. a hall with many columns supporting a roof) and a courtyard. Another mosque excavated at Siraf dates to the 9th century. Attached to the mosque was a minaret (tower for the muezzin to issue the call to prayer), the base of which remains, constituting the oldest remnants of a minaret in the eastern Islamic world. The Jameh Mosque of Isfahan, one of the major Islamic monuments in Iran, was originally founded towards 771, but it was rebuilt and expanded in 840–841. It too had a courtyard surrounded by hypostyle halls. It continued to undergo further modifications and additions in subsequent centuries.

The only major mosque from this early period to preserve some of its original form is the Tarikhaneh Mosque in Damghan. Though the chronology of its construction is not well-documented, its overall form and style may date to the 9th century, or possibly earlier, given its close similarities with Sassanid architecture. It has a courtyard surrounded by a portico and a hypostyle prayer hall where the central aisle leading to the mihrab (a niche in the wall symbolizing the qibla) is slightly wider than the other aisles. It originally had no minaret, but a tall cylindrical tower was added to it in 1026. This minaret is now the oldest one still standing in Iran.

In secular architecture, the remains of various palaces and residences from this period have also been studied, such as those around Merv (present-day Turkmenistan). They shared many features with earlier Sasanian and Sogdian architecture. Among the recurring elements are iwans and domed chambers. Some of the earlier examples up to the 8th century seem to have had halls with wooden pillars and roofs, while those that probably date to the 9th century seem to have favored domes and vaulted ceilings. They also had stucco decoration executed in the styles of Samarra. Residences built in the countryside were enclosed by outer walls with semi-circular towers, while on the inside they had central courtyards or a central domed hall flanked by vaulted halls. Some had four iwans flanking a central courtyard. The Sasanian tradition of building caravanserais along trade routes also continued, with the remains of one such structure in southern Turkmenistan attesting to the presence of a central courtyard surrounded by arcaded galleries with domed roofs.

Emergence of regional style (10th–11th centuries)

After its initial apogee of power, the Abbasid Caliphate fragmented into regional states in the 9th and 10th centuries that were formally obedient to the caliphs in Baghdad but were de facto independent. In Iran and Central Asia, a number of local and regional dynasties rose to power by the 10th century: Iraq and central Iran were controlled by the Buyid dynasty, northern Iran was ruled by the Bawandids and Ziyarids, and the northeastern regions of Khurasan and Transoxiana were ruled by the Samanids, with other dynasties arising in Central Asia soon after.

It is around this period that many of the distinctive features of subsequent Iranian and Central Asian architecture first emerged, including the use of baked brick for both construction and decoration, the use of glazed tile for surface decoration, and the development of muqarnas (three-dimensional geometric vaulting) from squinches. Hypostyle mosques continued to be built and there is also evidence of multi-domed mosques, though most mosques were modified or rebuilt in later eras. The Jameh Mosque of Na'in, one of the oldest surviving congregational mosques in Iran, contains some of the best-preserved features from this period, including decorative brickwork, Kufic inscriptions, and rich stucco decoration featuring vine scrolls and acanthus leaves that draw from the earlier styles of Samarra.

Remains of the Jameh Mosque of Siraf (9th century)

Another important architectural trend to arise in the 10th to 11th centuries is the development of mausolea, which took on monumental forms for the first time. One type of mausoleum was the tomb tower, such as the Gonbad-e Qabus (circa 1006–7), while the other main type was the domed square, such as the Samanid Mausoleum in Bukhara (before 943).

Seljuk era (11th–13th centuries)

Further information: Great Seljuk architecture

Turkic peoples began moving west across Central Asia and towards the Middle East from the 8th century onward, eventually converting to Islam and becoming major forces in the region. The most significant of these were the Seljuk Turks, who formed the Seljuk Empire in the 11th century, conquering all of Iran and other extensive territories in Central Asia and the Middle East.

While the apogee of the Great Seljuks was short-lived, it represents a major benchmark in the history of Islamic art and architecture in Iran and Central Asia, inaugurating an expansion of patronage and of artistic forms. Much of the Seljuk architectural heritage was destroyed during the Mongol invasions in the 13th century. Nonetheless, compared to pre-Seljuk Iran, a larger volume of surviving monuments and artifacts from the Seljuk period has allowed scholars to study the arts of this era in greater depth. Several neighbouring dynasties and empires contemporary with the Seljuks, including the Qarakhanids, the Ghaznavids, and the Ghurids, built monuments in a very similar style. A general tradition of architecture was thus shared across most of the eastern Islamic world (Iran, Central Asia, and parts of the northern Indian subcontinent) throughout the Seljuk period and its decline, from the 11th to 13th centuries. This period is also regarded as a "classical" age of Central Asian architecture.

The most important religious monument from the Great Seljuk period is the Jameh Mosque of Isfahan, which was expanded and modified by various Seljuk patrons in the late 11th century and early 12th century. Two major and innovative domed chambers were added to it in the late 11th century. Four large iwans were then erected around the courtyard around the early 12th century, giving rise to the four-iwan plan in mosque architecture. The four-iwan plan quickly became popular and was applied to other major mosques around this time, including those of Ardestan and Zavareh, as well as in secular architecture. It was probably also used for madrasas, a new type of building introduced around this time, though none of the Seljuk madrasas have been well preserved.

Lodging places (khān, or caravanserai) for travellers and their animals, generally displayed utilitarian rather than ornamental architecture, with rubble masonry, strong fortifications, and minimal comfort. Large caravanserais were built as a way to foster trade and assert Seljuk authority in the countryside. They typically consisted of a building with a fortified exterior appearance, monumental entrance portal, and interior courtyard surrounded by various halls, including iwans. Some notable examples, only partly preserved, are the caravanserais of Ribat-i Malik (c. 1068–1080) and Ribat-i Sharaf (12th century) in Transoxiana and Khorasan, respectively.

The Seljuks also continued to build "tower tombs", an Iranian building type from earlier periods, such as the Toghrul Tower built in Ray (south of present-day Tehran) in 1139. More innovative, however, was the introduction of mausoleums with a square or polygonal floor plan, which later became a common form of monumental tombs. Early examples of this are the two Kharraqan Towers (1068 and 1093) near Qazvin (northern Iran), which have octagonal forms, and the large Mausoleum of Sanjar (c. 1152) in Merv (present-day Turkmenistan), which has a square base.

Around the same time, between the late 10th century and the early 13th century, the Turkic Qarakhanids ruled in Transoxiana and executed many impressive constructions in Bukhara and Samarkand (present-day Uzbekistan). Among the known Qarakhanid monuments are the great congregational mosque in Bukhara, of which only the Kalyan Minaret (c. 1127) survives, the nearby Minaret of Vabkent (1141), and several Qarakhanid mausoleums with monumental façades, such as those in Uzgen (present-day Kyrgyzstan) from the second half of the 12th century.

Further east, the first major Turkic dynasty was the Ghaznavids, who became independent in the late 10th century and ruled from Ghazna, in present-day Afghanistan. In the second half of the 12th century, the Ghurids replaced them as the major power in the region from northern India to the edge of the Caspian Sea. Among the most remarkable monuments of these two dynasties are a number of ornate brick towers and minarets which have survived as stand-alone structures. Their exact functions are unclear. They include the Tower of Mas'ud III near Ghazna (early 12th century) and the Minaret of Jam built by the Ghurids (late 12th century), also in present-day Afghanistan.

As the Great Seljuks declined in the 12th century, various other dynasties (often also of Turkic origin) formed smaller states and empires. In Iran and Central Asia, the Khwarazm-Shahs, formerly vassals of the Seljuks and Qara Khitai, took advantage of this to expand their power and form the Khwarazmian Empire, occupying much of the region and conquering the Ghurids in the early 13th century, only to fall soon after to the Mongol invasions. The site of the former Khwarazmian capital, Kunya-Urgench (in present-day Turkmenistan), has preserved several monuments from the Khwarazmian Empire period (late 12th and early 13th century), including the so-called Mausoleum of Fakhr al-Din Razi (possibly the tomb of Il-Arslan) and the Mausoleum of Sultan Tekesh.

Ilkhanids (13th–14th centuries)

Main article: Ilkhanid architecture

From the 13th century to the early 16th century, Iran and Central Asia came under the control of two major dynasties descended from the Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan, the Ilkhanate (1256–1353) and the Timurids (1370–1506). This period saw the construction of some of the largest and most ambitious Iranian monuments of the Islamic world. The Ilkhanids were initially traditional nomadic Mongols, but at the end of the 13th century, Ghazan Khan (r. 1295–1304) converted to Islam and aided a cultural and economic resurgence in which urban Iranian culture was of primary importance. Ilkhanid vassals, like the Muzaffarids and the Jalayirids, also sponsored new constructions.

Ilkhanid architecture elaborated earlier Iranian traditions. In particular, greater attention was given to interior spaces and how to organize them. Rooms were made taller, while transverse vaulting was employed and walls were opened with arches, thus allowing more light and air inside. Muqarnas, which was previously confined to covering limited transitional elements like squinches, was now used to cover entire domes and vaults for purely decorative effect. The Tomb of 'Abd al-Samad in Natanz (1307–8), for example, is covered inside by an elaborate muqarnas dome that is made from stucco suspended below the pyramidal vault that roofs the building.

Brick remained the main construction material, but more color was added through the use of tile mosaic, which involved cutting monochrome tiles of different colors into pieces that were then fitted together to form larger patterns, especially geometric motifs and floral motifs. Carved stucco decoration also continued. Some exceptional examples in Iran come from this period, including a wall of carved stucco in the Mausoleum of Pir-i Bakran in Linjan (near Isfahan), and a mihrab added in 1310 to the Jameh Mosque of Isfahan. The latter is one of the masterpieces of Islamic sculptural art from this era, featuring multiple layers of deeply-carved vegetal motifs, along with a carved inscription.

Various mosques were built or expanded during this period, usually following the four-iwan plan for congregational mosques (e.g. at Varamin and Kirman), except in the northwest, where cold winters discouraged the presence of an open courtyard, as at the Jameh Mosque of Ardabil (now ruined). Another hallmark of the Ilkhanid period is the introduction of monumental mosque portals topped by twin minarets, as seen at the Jameh Mosque of Yazd. Caravanserais were built again, although the Khan al-Mirjan in Baghdad is the only surviving example.

The most impressive monument to survive from this period is the Soltaniyeh Mausoleum built for Sultan Uljaytu (r. 1304–1317), a massive dome supported on a multi-level octagonal structure with internal and external galleries. Only the domed building remains today, missing much of its original turquoise tile decoration, but it was once the centerpiece of a larger religious complex including a mosque, a hospital, and living areas. Smaller tombs and shrines in honour of local Sufis were also built or renovated by Ilkhanid patrons, such as the shrine of Bayazid Bastami in the town of Bastam, the aforementioned Mausoleum of Pir-i Bakran, and the aforementioned Tomb of Abd-al-Samad. Also in Bastam, the Ilkhanids built a traditional tower tomb to house the remains of Uljaytu's infant son. Unusually, rather than being an independent structure, the tomb was erected behind the qibla wall of the town's main mosque – a configuration also found in some contemporary Mamluk architecture.

Timurids (14th–15th centuries)

Main article: Timurid architecture

Safavids and Uzbeks (16th–18th centuries)

Further information: Safavid art

The Safavids, who forged a large Shi'i empire in the 16th century that encompassed all of Iran and some neighbouring regions, initially inherited the traditions of Timurid architecture. To adapt this tradition into a new imperial style, Safavid architects pushed it to an even grander scale. Safavid architecture simplified Timurid architecture to an extent, creating large architectural ensembles that are arranged around more static, fixed perspectives that appear more ceremonial, with more uniform building exteriors and more streamlined vault designs. At the same time, buildings were carefully planned and often given an open layout that made them easy to enjoy. The most characteristic decoration was tile mosaic, applied on a grand scale. The decorative program often served to obscure rather than highlight the structural design of buildings. This Safavid style took shape in Isfahan and subsequently spread to other parts of the empire.

Relatively few Safavid monuments have been preserved from before the period prior to the reign of Shah Abbas I (r. 1588–1629). The most important exception is the tomb and religious complex of Sheikh Safi al-Din in Ardabil. This complex had been in development since the time of Safi al-Din (d. 1334), who founded a Sufi order with which Isma'il I (r. 1501–1524), the first Safavid ruler, associated himself. Safavid additions to the site began in the early 16th century, when Isma'il's small domed tomb was built here. His successor, Tahmasp I (r. 1524–1576), carried out the first major Safavid expansion of the complex. The most important structure added was the Jannat Sarai, a large octagonal structure in the same tradition as the old Ilkhanid mausoleum in Soltaniyeh, perhaps originally intended to be the domed tomb of Tahmasp I. Abbas I also made further renovations and additions to the site after this.

Contemporary with the Safavids in Iran were other dynasties and ruling groups in Central Asia, such as the Shaybanids and other Uzbek tribal leaders. Monumental buildings continued to be built here, drawing on the traditional Timurid style. In Bukhara, the Shaybanids created the present Po-i-Kalyan complex, integrating the Qarakhanid-era Kalan Minaret, renovating the old mosque in 1514, and adding the large Mir-i 'Arab Madrasa (1535–6). Later, in Samarkand, the local ruler Yalangtush Bi Alchin gave the Registan its current appearance by building two new madrasas across from Ulugh Beg's madrasa. The Sherdar Madrasa (1616–1636) imitates the form of the Ulugh Beg Madrasa, while the Tilla Kar Madrasa (1646–1660) is both a mosque and a madrasa. Architectural activity became less significant in the region after the 17th century, with the exception of Khiva. The Friday mosque of Khiva, with its distinctive hypostyle hall of wooden columns, was rebuilt in this form in 1788–9.

Safavid Isfahan

Abbas I made Isfahan his capital and embarked on the most ambitious program of construction of the Safavid period. As a result, a very large proportion of preserved Safavid monuments are concentrated in this one city. Abbas I moved the political and economic center of the city from its traditional location near the old Jameh Mosque to a new area near the Zayandeh River to the south, where a new planned city was created. It includes a sprawling Grand Bazaar, lined with caravanserais, which opens via a monumental portal onto a vast, rectangular public square, the Maidan-e Shah or Naqsh-e Jahan, laid out between 1590 and 1602. The entire square is surrounded by a two-level arcade and symbolizes Abbas I's ambition to be one of the greatest sovereigns on the world stage. In addition to the bazaar's portal, three other buildings stand at the middle of each side of the square: the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque (1603–1619), the Shah Mosque (1611–c. 1630), and the Ali Qapu, a palace gateway and pavilion begun c. 1597 and finished under Abbas II, c. 1660.

Naqsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan is the epitome of Safavid-era architecture.

The two mosques on the square are each entered via monumental portals, but due to the difference between the direction of the qibla and the orientation of the square, both mosques are built at an angle from it and their vestibules bend on the way in. Both have prayer halls covered by a single large, double-shelled dome, though the Shah Mosque's prayer hall is also flanked by two hypostyle halls. Unlike in Timurid monuments, the dome interiors are not geometrically subdivided and have a uniform surface instead. An effect of lightness is achieved instead by the transitional zone of arches, squinches, and windows, with the walls of the prayer hall in the Shah Mosque also pierced by open archways. On the outside, the domes have an "onion" shape (i.e. bulging on the sides and pointed on top). While the Shah Mosque has minarets and a traditional central courtyard surrounded by four iwans, the Lutfallah Mosque has no minarets and is different from all other Safavid mosques by consisting only of the single domed chamber. The interiors of both mosques are entirely covered in glazed tiles, predominantly blue, which were restored in the 1930s on the basis of the few remaining original tiles.

To the west of the Maidan-i Shah square was a large palace complex of gardens and pavilions. The most important surviving pavilion, Chehel Sotoun ("Forty Columns"), is dated to 1647 by an inscription, but may have been established earlier. In 1706–7, a deep, broad porch with columns was added to it, giving it its present appearance. The other notable surviving pavilion, Hasht Behesht, mostly dates to the late 17th century. To the west of the palace grounds is a long, wide avenue called the Chaharbagh ("Four Gardens") which ends in the south at the Si-o-se-pol ("Bridge of thirty-three arches") bridge, built in 1602. The bridge is lined with arcades and features a wide central lane for caravans and beasts of burden as well as side passages for pedestrians. Further downstream, the Khaju Bridge (1650) is one of the finest monuments of the reign of Abbas II. Like the Si-o-se-pol, it combines aesthetic effect with practical function, but it is more complex and represents the apex of Safavid bridge design. It has two levels, each with a wide central passage for caravans and side passages for pedestrians along its flanking arches. At the middle of the bridge is a wider viewing pavilion with an octagonal layout.

These bridges connect the city centre with the south bank of the Zayandeh River, where royal Safavid hunting grounds were once located. After 1604, a Christian Armenian quarter, New Julfa, was also created here. Some 30 or so churches were built in the area, of which 13 survive today, dating to the 17th and early 18th centuries. The churches imported Armenian features and combined them with the contemporary Safavid style, as exemplified by the Vank Cathedral (or Holy Saviour Cathedral), dating in its current form to around 1656.

Zands and Qajars (18th–early 20th centuries)

Persian domes

Main article: Persian domes

The Sasanian Empire began building the first large domes in Iran, like the Palace of Ardashir and Qal'eh Dokhtar. After this time, Persian style influenced many other places, and domes became important in Muslim architecture.

Later, during the Il-Khanate period, new ideas helped build taller domes. The most famous is the Dome of Soltaniyeh in Zanjan, Iran, which stands 50 meters tall. During the Safavid era, leader Abbas the Great rebuilt the city of Isfahan, using designs from earlier times but making them even more beautiful.

Persian domes are special because they are covered in colorful tiles, making them shine like blue gems. This style started in the Seljuk era but was made perfect by the Safavids. They even created a special way to color tiles with seven different colors, making beautiful patterns. The famous Shah Mosque in Isfahan, finished in 1629, stands 53 meters tall and has layers of domes hidden inside.

Contemporary Iranian architecture

Further information: Architecture of Tehran

Contemporary architecture in Iran started in the early 1920s during the first Pahlavi period. Some designers, like Andre Godard, created buildings such as the National Museum of Iran that remind us of Iran's rich history. Others tried to mix traditional styles with modern designs, like the Tehran University main campus.

Architects such as Heydar Ghiai and Houshang Seyhoun aimed to create totally new designs, not based on older styles. Dariush Borbor mixed modern architecture with local traditions. The Azadi Tower, finished in 1971, is a famous landmark in Tehran, designed by Hossein Amanat using ideas from historic Iranian architecture. The Milad Tower, completed in 2007, is the tallest tower in Iran and one of the tallest structures in the world.

Modern Iranian architecture often uses brickwork in smart ways, fitting the dry climate and inspired by old building methods and traditional brickwork techniques.

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Iran Senate House Traditional Persian mythology such as the chains of justice of Nowshiravan and essences of Iranian architecture have been incorporated by Heydar Ghiai to create a new modern Iranian architecture.

[Tehran's Museum of Contemporary Arts](/wiki/Tehran_Museum_of_Contemporary_Art) designed by Kamran Diba is based on traditional Iranian elements such as [Badgirs](/wiki/Badgir), and yet has a spiraling interior reminiscent of [Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim](/wiki/Solomon_R._Guggenheim_Museum).

Tehran University College of Social Sciences shows obvious traces of architecture from [Persepolis](/wiki/Persepolis).

Iranian architects

The first group for professional Iranian architects, called the Society of Iranian Diplomate Architects, started on January 30, 1945. Some of the founders were Vartan Avanessian, Mohsen Foroughi, and Keyghobad Zafar. At that time, many foreign architects were well-known in Iran, so the group also made a magazine called Architecte to help Iranian architects get more attention. Later, in 1966, another group called the Association of Iranian Architects was created by several architects including Vartan Avanessian and Keyghobad Zafar.

Some Iranian architects have won important awards, like the A' Design Award in 2018 and the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Some of their famous works include Bagh-e-Ferdowsi in Tehran, buildings in Shushtar New Town, and places like Ali Qapu, Chehel Sutun, and Hasht Behesht in Isfahan.

UNESCO designated World Heritage Sites

Ziggurats such as the UNESCO designated World Heritage Site of Chogha Zanbil, which relieved the flat monotony of the southern Khuzestan plane, were but "ritual imitations of the familiar sacred mountains which ring the Iranian plateau".

This is a list of important places chosen by UNESCO that show beautiful Iranian architecture. These places were either built by people from Iran or made in the style of Iranian architecture.

Inside Iran: