Misplaced Pages

Tehran has grown dramatically since Mohammad Khan Qajar chose it as the capital of the Qajar dynasty in 1796. Despite the occurrence of earthquakes during the Qajar period and before, some buildings still remain from Tehran's era of antiquity. However, most of Tehran's historic architecture has been obliterated by the wave of hasty modernization that swept through the capital over the last 40 to 50 years. Of the eight city gates of old Tehran, none remain today. The Qajar culture flowered into a mature form of vernacular architecture, and many relics today remain of this tradition. Most, however, are government offices and residences of the royal elite. The "Kushak" of Ahmad Shah in the Niavaran Palace Complex is an example of this tradition.

Many of the urban designs of modern Tehran are attributed to Victor Gruen. Gruen devised a master plan for many of northern Tehran's neighborhoods between the years 1963–1967. Many palaces were built and by the late 1970s, Tehran had grown so large that Ray, a former satellite and city in itself, became connected to the ever-expanding "Greater Tehran". Pahlavi architecture tried incorporated themes from European Modern architecture. The "White House" of Sadabad Palace and the main Palace of Niavaran are examples of this architectural style.

Features of the city include gates and palaces. Despite the chaotic sprawl of Tehran, many designers are gradually incorporating aesthetics in their designs, and international awards have been given to projects in the city.

See also

• Ferdows Garden
• Goldis Tower
• Iranian architecture
• List of tallest buildings in Tehran
• Sharifa-ha House
• Tehran International Tower

References

1. Encyclopædia Britannica entry for Victor Gruen:
2. Mall Maker: Victor Gruen, Architect of an American Dream. M. Jeffrey Hardwick, Victor Gruen. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004. ISBN 0-8122-3762-5 pp. 220
3. "Victor Gruen Papers (Library of Congress)". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
4. "Bagh-e-Ferdowsi, Tehran, Iran - Aga Khan Award for Architecture, 1999-2001". Archived from the original on 29 May 2006. Retrieved 22 April 2006.
5. "News - Aga Khan Award for Architecture Seminar in Tehran, Iran, 17 October 2002". Archived from the original on 5 May 2006. Retrieved 22 April 2006.

External links

• Architecture of Tehran at archINFORM
• Library of Congress on Tehran's Architectural Conference
• US State Dept on the Conference
• On the Shahyad (Azadi) Tower
• Photos from the changing face of Tehran
• Modernized Iranian architecture in Tehran Archived 18 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine (Video, 6 min 48 sec), Press TV, 26 September 2010.
• Tehranimages. Contemporary photos taken in some of the oldest districts of Tehran.

v t e Iranian architecture
Periods	Pre-Islamic Achaemenid Parthian style Sasanian Islamic Early Islamic Seljuk Ilkhanid Timurid Safavid
Types	Bazaars Caravanserais Khaneqah Mosques Takyeh
Elements	Ab anbar Andaruni Biruni Burj Chahartaq Dalan e Vorudi Gonbad Hashti Howz Imamzadeh Iwan Kariz Kucheh Panjdari Persian Garden (hayāt) Qanat Sahn Shabestan Talar Windcatchers Yakhchāl
Traditional cities	Amol Andijan Baku Bam Bukhara Ctesiphon Derbent Ganja Gur-e-Amir Hatra Herat Isfahan Kashan Kashmar Khiva Khorramabad Mashhad Merv Nakhchivan Nishapur Persepolis Qazvin Qom Samarkand Shahrisabz Shiraz Susa Tabriz Takht-e Soleymān Tehran Yazd
Theory and analysis	Islamic architecture Traditional Persian residential architecture Traditional water sources of Persian antiquity
Lists	Architects of Iran Args, castles, and ghal'ehs List of ab anbars of Qazvin List of mosques List of ziyarat-gahs

• Architecture by city
• Buildings and structures in Tehran
• Culture in Tehran
• Architecture in Iran