Course description

 

This course is to give the students an overview of the 7000 years of Iranian art and architecture however the main concentration of the course is on the Islamic era. Students are introduced to the fundamentals of formation and development of early cities, as well as public architectures. The course content includes introduction and discussion on the design principles, employed technologies and ornamentation of:

• religious buildings such as mosques, tombs, minaret, and schools;

• houses including the common houses, palaces, and roadside inns (karavansara)

• public buildings and constructions such as bazaars, bridges, dams, bathhouses, mills, and water reservoirs are discussed.

Three separate sessions are assigned to present topics on historical structures and ornamentation.

The class also includes a/some one-day visit(s) from National Museum of Iran and some historical buildings and urban spaces in Tehran. Students are required to write 5 short essays stemming from the subjects discussed in the class and reflect their evaluation of a chosen historical building, draw connections between the course materials and their observation and bring their own argumentation.

​

References