A Structural and Architectural Review of the Ancient Persian Domes and Arches

摘要

The remains of millenniums of culture and civilization can be found throughout Iran and the surrounding countries. Over several thousand years, the experience and culture of the Persian Empire carried into the Islamic era. Particularly between 10th to 17th centuries, Monuments, temples, mosques, bridges, dams, water tunnels, water mills, and other structures were built. Even though they reside in one of the most active seismic regions in the world, and have experienced major earthquakes for centuries, some of these structures are still stable. These masterpieces have been sources of research and inquiry about the structural stability, architecture, and the incorporation of the art, spirituality, and construction methods. The architects of these structures were expert in mathematics, geometry, and topography crafting in their era. They also had great knowledge about the climate, materials, and structural systems to assist them in creating the structures. The architects integrated structural principles into their design, maintained creative interaction with the environment, and incorporated robust engineering methods. The combination of structural elements, such as arches and domes, covered wide openings and long spans. This reduced the weight of the buildings by decreasing their mass and supported structural stability. The structural shape, materials, and other considerations lead the structures ability to tolerate the applied loads. Their shapes are inspired by nature and their architects' spiritual and philosophical ideas. The complexity of the geometries, along with the simplification of the concepts and methods, can be investigated by different professional fields. This paper reviews Persian historical buildings and bridges, and particularly some of the ones built in the city of Isfahan during Seljuq and Safavid dynasties between the 10th and 18th centuries of the Islamic era. This study basically focuses on architectural and structural philosophy and innovations based on time, location, and environmental considerations of the region.