Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Introduction to Traditional Domestic and Functional Architecture in Iran

In addition to the monumental buildings we visited, we also saw a number of buildings which were in one way or another useful to the citizens of the city in their daily lives. The designs of these buildings are often quite ancient but none we saw was much older than the 17th century. Some of these buildings would have been made from unglazed bricks and covered with a combination of mud and straw. If they were not kept in good repair, the weather, both rain and heat, would over time destroy them. This photo shows the town of Meybod, on the road from Yazd to Esfahan, looking out from the citadel in the middle of town.

Because lumber was not readily available in the desert, domes were often used in building houses, public structures, and even chicken coops. Domes are well suited to a desert climate because the airflow in a domed room is far superior to that in a rectangular one. Particularly important in a chicken coop. I love the bumpy domes in the foreground above.


 These arches in the old town of Yazd, in need of constant repair I'm sure, were too beautiful not to capture.

Ice House in Meybod

A great example of imaginative architecture is the ice house, a very useful structure for dry hot desert towns. The one we saw was located in Meybod, on the road from Yazd to Esfahan, and possibly dates from the Safavid Dynasty, 17th century.

During the winter, ice would be collected from rivers or pools and brought to the ice house, whose walls were often four feet thick. The pieces would be placed in layers in the underground bowl-shaped area. The layers would be interspersed with hay or other forms of insulation.


The dome, to the left, had a very small opening so as to keep the sun and the heat out. The ice stored in this manner could last through the summer.

Wind Towers or Badgirs in Yazd on the Edge of the Desert

Wind towers or badgirs still grace some of the homes in Yazd in the old part of the city. Traditionally, they would be located over a pool of water so that as the wind came down it would pass across the pool, cooling it, vaporizing some of the water and carrying the cool moisture to the room and to the house. The introduction of air conditioning has diminished the use of wind towers, I’m sorry to say.

They were also often built along with cisterns which would store water delivered to the city via qanats, an extensive system of wells and underground tunnels which brought water from the mountains to desert towns and cities. The wind towers would help to keep the water cool.
The wind tower of Bagh-e Dowlat Abad, a palace and garden built by Karim Khan Zand in 1750, is one of the tallest in town. You can see the outside of the dome, shown below, just in front of the wind tower to the left.













 

The dome located inside the house is just beautiful.

Caravansersai


As I mentioned in a previous post, caravanserai dot the countryside, either in ruins, in some partial state of repair, or completely rehabilitated as a guest house or hotel for travelers. Many are from the Safavid Dynasty, 17th century, as Shah Abbas set out to build 999 of them along the Silk Road(s) to encourage traders to bring their wares through Iran.

As you can see from the plan to the left, there was only one entrance to the courtyard. Shops and storerooms faced the courtyard and the corridors and arcades on the inside were used as housing for travelers.

Public Laundry Museum in Zanjan

This public laundry was built by the mayor of the town in 1926 as a nice place for the women of Zanjan to do their laundry and enjoy each other’s company. The beautiful brick arches and barrel vaults are a far cry from our sterile and utilitarian laundromats here.

We saw three museums which featured wax models to illustrate the use of the particular places: a kitchen museum associated with the White Palace in Tehran, this public laundry, and the Public Bath Museum in Esfahan below.

The Public Bath House or Hamam in Esfahan

Public bath houses or hamam were common until the advent of indoor plumbing in houses. Some are still operational, but mostly for men, as far as I can tell.

This hamam, built by a private donor who also built the nearby madraseh, bazaar, and caravanserai (no longer in existence), is now a museum, with gorgeous tile work and imaginative water spigots. Several museums we visited make good use of human-sized figures to depict the activity going on. The figures here are particularly interesting.

There is another interesting intersection with the Houses of Strength or zurkhaneh. Depicted here on a wall are four athletes, two working out with their Indian clubs and the two in the middle wrestling. I wonder if it was their custom, after working out, to come to the bath house for a soak and a scrub. It would make sense to me.

Bridges of Esfahan

I’ve already shown you a photo of one of the 17th century Safavid Dynasty bridges in Esfahan in the very first post about the elderly gentlemen gathering at Khaju Bridge. Here is another view of it. You'll remember that during our visit there was no water in the river because of irrigation needs on the outskirts.
















Now here is something interesting in connection to the Houses of Strength. There are two statues of a lion with a man's head in his mouth at each end of Khaju Bridge. The man is clearly alive and is peering out of the mouth. The lions are decorated with some of the exercise equipment the athletes use in the zurkhaneh: the clubs are on the lions' front legs, and the bow and the piece of wood representing a door are on the side.  I wish I could remember the whole story---I'll see if I can find out and report. Riding the lion is a favorite thing to do with kids of all ages.

Here are a couple of additional bridges:

Si-o-Seh Bridge or Bridge of 33 Arches from the Safavid Dynasty.
Shahrestan Bridge is the oldest bridge in town, dating from the 12th century though its underpinnings are from the Sassanian Dynasty in the 3rd century.

Houses of Strength

Houses of Strength or zurkhaneh are neighborhood places all over the country where men can gather to work out. The space itself is quite simple: the walls are filled with photographs of previous athletes and other memorabilia, exercise equipment lines the octagonal sunken area, large enough for 10 or 15 men to practice a set series of exercises in unison. We spent an evening watching a practice in Esfahan.

In addition to the physical exercises designed to built strength (slinging about Indian clubs, lifting a heavy plank of wood while lying on your back, using heavy metal bows to build shoulder strength) and balance (whirling about as fast as possible with your arms outstretched), there is a spiritual component as well. The practice originated in pre-Islamic Persia but now incorporates various Islamic virtues as well: strength, courage and respect for Mohammed and the Imams.

The leader of the zurkhaneh, usually a former athlete, sits on a raised platform, playing the drum, and singing from Shanameh and Hafez. He also instructs the athletes after the ritualized exercise is over and asks them questions such as “Why were you late to the practice this evening?”