Security is the second most important human need after food and security can be achieved when humans have access to dwellings, they can use to protect themselves. These dwellings must not only protect humans from occurrences that threaten their existence but must also provide confirmable conditions based on human physiology and its differences with other creatures since human lives are directly related to their comfort.
During their thousands of years in these geographical conditions, people living in Iranian flatlands have adapted to their climate and geographical conditions. Iran provides an interesting environment since deserts, plains, forests, mountains, and beaches all exist together among its borders. It includes arid deserts experiencing hot days and cold nights. Where water is a valuable treasure under these hard conditions and any living creature not fully prepared to face it is doomed to destruction.
The deserts are hot and dry with limited water resources. There is a large temperature difference between day and night and in different seasons. Winters are often cold and semi-dry while summers are hot and dry and the conditions vary greatly. Mountainous regions and foothills offer better conditions. Although water resources are more available, hard weather conditions create a different type of living.
In the southern parts of Iran, due to the proximity to the Sea of Oman and the Persian Gulf, high humidity and low rainfall along with limited resources have created unique conditions. Maybe the only temperate climate with more comfortable living conditions in Iran is the areas bordering the Caspian Sea, which have high rainfall and temperate summers.
In general, the geographical conditions of Iran are varied, and adapting to them and creating the conditions necessary for comfort requires intelligence and maximum usage of the available resources. Iranian people, during thousands of years and through accumulated experiences of past generations have created dwellings which have the best possible compatibility with changing conditions, and one of these aspects is full compatibly of cities and villages with their building architecture.
In the desert and arid parts of Iran, the materials used for buildings are often from the soil. This natural material is widely available and one must only use its capabilities. Architects obtain suitable soils from the same place they live. They process it and turn it into thatches, mudbricks, and bricks and use them to construct floors, ceilings, and walls. Brick, as a unit of Iranian architecture, plays an essential role in the construction of important structures and architectural wonders. Mudbricks are stacked on top of each other and are used to create arches and arched domes and if wood is available, the ceiling is covered with wood and thatch instead of bricks.
Soil is both cheap and available and special types of soil (clay soil) are used to construct tiles which are an artform for covering surfaces that shows the ultimate Iranian art. This soil creates buildings that are Vernacular while also showing the architectural and artistic creativity of Iranian people since its physical properties result in minimum adsorption of heat from the hot desert sun and what heat is absorbed is returned to the residents during the cold nights. This soil is turned into architectural forms which turn the homes of Iranian people into aesthetic work.
In this climate, a yard that brings the nature and beauty of outside inside the homes is located in the middle and the areas around it are arranged with predefined order and connections. This yard is the location for many happenings. Architects have defined what they could do in the middle since they believe Iranian architecture to be introverted. There is nothing on the outside and the audience can experience everything when coming inside.
This introversion in Iranian architecture is a response to institutionalized climate and cultural beliefs. The culture of Iranian people is rooted in their beliefs which has always paid more attention to inside compacted to outside and this can also be seen in architectural spaces and cities and villages. The forms of architectural buildings are made to create a mini-climate inside themselves.
When we investigate historical houses in historical cities such as Yazd and Kerman, which are located near deserts, we see central yards (or “Miyan Sara”) which are used for cultivating various trees and greenery, “Shah Neshin” (or throne) which is the main living area on the northern side of the building facing the yard as well as other architectural elements such as windcatchers which bring cool and pleasant air inside and other spaces such as “Hoz Khaneh” (Poolhouse) which create unique conditions.
During summer, the heat is intolerable in alleyways and streets. When you enter one of these houses, you can feel the change immediately upon entering the yard (Miyan Sara). The throne creates even better conditions for the residents since its walls return the cold adsorbed during the night to the surrounding area and pleasant airflow created by windcatchers can regulate hard summer conditions. If you are looking for ideal and spring conditions, you can go to the pool house (Hoz Khaneh) which is often located under the throne and underground and the constant presence of water and cool and humid air created by windcatchers can create a different summer experience for the house’s residents.
Iranian people, since ancient times, thought about limitations and hardships not as barriers but as opportunities for creativity and innovation; always paid attention to their quality of life and aimed to create a deep meaning and understanding for life. In the depths of Iranian theology is the desire to live in paradise (or Pardis) and they attempted to recreate this paradise with tools available to them. Iranian gardens are perhaps the best examples of such thinking.
The house mentioned above is a single unit that is expanded along with others in a compact neighborhood. This compact residential area is based on climate considerations and minimizes the free surfaces for heat adsorption and can also create a sense of security and cultural belonging. This compact residential area is divided by narrow passages, giving access to various areas. Each passage is defined separately and artistically and connects houses and to other areas using the best possible method; finally ending at a bazaar that had been the center for human gatherings.
In these passages, attempts have been made to create dome ceilings and arches to maximize the shade and prevent heat loss during both the summer and winter months. Bazaars acted as the backbone of cities and, along with meeting the needs of the residents, were organized to include services such as bathhouses, mosques, and schools.
Iran is a general concept that contains all of Iran’s geographical boundaries. On the other hand, due to the geographical diversity of Iran, each region uses this general concept to create specific approaches for itself. To clarify this matter, it is necessary to compare dwellings in two regions of Iran. People living in central Iranian flatlands have created a connection with their living environment which is somewhat different from the conditions experienced by people living in the southern coasts.
The economy of people living in southern Iran is directly related to the sea and their culture reflects this matter. This culture along with the hot and humid climate in these regions has been reflected in cities and villages. Houses in this climate are made to make maximum use of the sea breeze and are therefore often taller and with a larger number of floors. The residential areas are not as compact as the central Iranian flatlands and alleyways and roads are constructed perpendicular to the seashore to guide air inside the residential areas. The yard or middle area of these houses is larger with openings and windows facing outside to guide the maximum amount of sea breeze inside. Furthermore, in this region, houses are constructed so that they can create shade during all hours of the day.
We see large cultural, social, and economic differences between people living in the central and southern region and those living in the north along the coast of the Caspian Sea. Being surrounded between sea and mountains has created a temperate and humid climate in this region which has resulted in higher fertility and easier lives. Plentiful rainfall and flowing rivers have created the possibility for widespread agricultural and livestock activities. People in this region live among fields, gardens, and forests and their mostly rural style of living differs greatly from other parts of the country.
Although there are only small differences between houses on the sea coast, among the fields, or on the foothills of Alborz Mountains, in contrast to the introverted form seen in the majority of Iran, these houses have a fully extravert form. Balconies open to face the surrounding nature. The ceilings are not flat or dome-shaped, instead gable roofs sometimes (due to severe rainfall) with extremely sharp slopes are used. The rural houses in this region are not built on the ground due to high soil humidity, they are constructed at a suitable height from the ground instead.
North West and West of Iran is covered by Zagros mountains and despite natural bounties, life can be hard during cold seasons due to its geographical conditions. People living in these regions have adapted their dwellings to their conditions. One example is the region of Kurdistan with its rich cultural and historical heritage. In this province of Iran, with tall mountains and deep valleys, along which numerous rivers flow, people have used local materials, often including stone, soil, and wood to construct their houses. These houses are constructed at mountain foothills, compact and next to each other to act as a barrier against cold mountain weather, snow, and frozen winds.
This can also be seen in cities and villages located in the Alborz Mountains. These villages show the best and most beautiful arrangement and organization along mountain foothills. In these villages, the yard of one house is the rooftop of another and the passages move based on the landform, connecting buildings.
In general, it can be said that different geographical, climate, and cultural conditions among various Iranian people (despite their national unity) have resulted in different Iranian architectures existing together within a single geographical boundary. Each architecture has its particular world and many of them can be learned and modernized. Iranian people, along with the Iranshahr (Iranian City) belief cultivated together for centuries have learned to combine their beliefs with their nature and climate and present architecture as the result of this combination.
