Post on 24-Jun-2020
Journal of Civil Engineering and Architecture 12 (2018) 757-777 doi: 10.17265/1934-7359/2018.11.001
The Chronological Process of Changes in Iranian Urban
Spaces – A Case Study: Tehran and Its Squares
Sanaz Shobeiri
School of Architecture and the Built Environment, University of Westminster, London, NW1 5LS, United Kingdom
Abstract: One of the key current challenges in urban design and planning worldwide is the notion of “scale”, which is important in various levels of decision making for urban spaces such as squares. How “scale” is defined in the field of design and planning will lead to divergent approaches towards urban spaces, such as adaptation, obeying, alteration, and neglect. In order to create successful urban spaces with suitable scales that respond to users’ expectations, it is necessary to minimize the gap between the subjectivity and objectivity, and to this end, this paper studies the chronological process of such changes in Tehran and their impact on the design of one type of space: the urban square. Furthermore, this paper aims to identify if and how the subjectivity and objectivity of squares in Tehran have been changed as a result of chronological phases of transformation, particularly since the foundation of the city in 1524. The findings reveal how aspects of the city’s squares are disappearing, but need to be revived to achieve socio-cultural sustainability. The main methods applied include a review of the related literature, an appropriate analysis, and direct observation.
Key words: Square, Tehran, scale, neighborhood, urban spaces, subjectivity, objectivity.
1. Introduction
In the contemporary global context, one of the most
important issues in the field of design and planning is
the issue of “scale”, which is a factor in various phases
of the entire design process, from the starting concept
until the final product. This approach is necessary in
order to create an artifact that is compatible with—or
more precisely, responsive to—the needs and
expectations of users. At the city level, the issue of
scale can potentially create various and even divergent
possibilities in how people perceive and behave
towards urban spaces. Squares are one of the key urban
spaces in today’s cities, and it is therefore necessary to
consider them in terms of their scale. Some of the ways
in which one can deal with designed urban spaces are
adaptation, obeying, alteration, and neglect.
In order to achieve an urban square that approves
and improves users’ subjectivity, it is first necessary to
study how the issue of scale has chronologically
developed; in other words, the first step in investigating
Corresponding author: Sanaz Shobeiri, Ph.D., research
field: urban development and regeneration.
an appropriate scale for the design of urban spaces in
general and squares in particular is to study the
chronological process of changes in context. It should
be noted that the process of modernization and the
entrance of automobiles in urban areas has affected the
design of cities, and particularly the scales of these
designs. This is a global challenge, and cities have dealt
with this process in different ways, and therefore the
issue should be studied in appropriate detail in each
specific context [1-4].
This paper examines the specified context of the city
of Tehran, and its urban spaces in the form of its
squares. In order to investigate the issue of
chronological changes of “scale” in subjectivity and
objectivity in the design and planning of squares in
Tehran, the paper first studies the city’s expansion and
development, and the dynasties and kings who played a
role in this development. This issue will be discussed in
sections 2-8, after which the paper will go on to analyze
how squares in Tehran have changed over time.
Sections 9-10 will investigate the issue of “scale” in
squares, in terms of subjectivity and objectivity. To
conclude this research, section 11 will touch on the
D DAVID PUBLISHING
The Chronological Process of Changes in Iranian Urban Spaces – A Case Study: Tehran and Its Squares
758
disappearing or neglected aspects of scale in squares
that, the author judges, need to be revived. The
methods that will be applied to consider the
chronological process of changes, as well as the
contemporary situation of Tehran and its urban
spaces—in particular its squares, both large and
small—are a review of the related literature, a relevant
analysis, and direct observation.
2. As a Village: Tehran before and during the Mongol Invasion (until the 14th Century)
The Mongol invasion of Iran took the form of three
main attacks that took place between 1219 and 1256.
These invasions, initiated by Genghis Khan, resulted in
the establishment of the Ilkhanate dynasty in Iran,
which ruled from 1256 to 1336, and the fall of the
Khwarezmian1 dynasty (1078-12562) [5-7].
As explained by Anvar in 2011, Tehran, which is
one of the largest cities in the world, was in its infancy
one of many small and trivial villages around the city
of Rey3 and was of such insignificance that the
geographers of the day did not even mention its name,
when listing nearby geographical locations [8].
The earliest records of Tehran as a distinct
geographical location can be traced back to two authors,
Abu Abd-ollah Mohammad ibn Hemad Tehrani Razi in
847, and Mohammad ibn Saeed Doulabi Tehrani in
838-922 [8]. The majority of the historical evidence of
the early days of Tehran indicates that the perimeter of
Tehran extended from the Alborz mountains in the
north to the city of Rey (Ray) in the south. This
description of the scale of the city refers to Tehran
before the Mongol invasion of 1219; the Mongol
attacks affected every city and village in the country to
a certain degree. Tehran during the Mongol invasion is
described as a large and densely populated village
containing orchards and outstanding pomegranate
gardens [8, 9].
Qazvini (1275)4 wrote that the Tehran of those days
was a large village in which people lived in houses
built underground to stay safe from invaders; each time
the village was attacked, people took shelter in their
houses underground, and remained there until the
enemy had left the village, believing it was abandoned.
As a result, Tehran was famous in those days as an
underground village [8, 9].
3. Becoming a City: Tehran during the Safavid5 Dynasty (1501-1723), in Particular under Shah Tahmasp I6 (1524-1576) (Tehran from 1524 to 1723)
During the Mongol invasion, the multiple attacks
caused the decline of the city of Rey, and at the same
time, Tehran gradually started to thrive; in other words,
as a result of the Mongol invasion, Tehran began to
enter a transition phase, transforming from a rural
village into an urban center (for more details, please see
Refs. [8-10]).
In 1537, during the Safavid dynasty, Shah Tahmasp I
went to Tehran to make a pilgrimage to a shrine called
Imamzadeh Hamzeh, located near the shrine of Shah
Abd-ol Azim,7 and it was this experience that drew his
attention to Tehran. He paid at least one visit to this
place and in 1556, ordered a wall to be erected around
it. The wall had 114 towers, each of which bore a verse
from the Holy Quran as a blessing, revealing the central
role that religious beliefs played in the urban designs of
Iran at that time. Tehran had four gates in those days:
the Shah Abd-ol Azim gate in the south, the Shemiran
gate in the north, the Doulab gate in the east, and the
Qazvin gate in the west. This is the process by which
Tehran became a city [3, 4, 8].
At that time, the main city’s structure included a
bazaar, royal citadel,8 and central mosque,9 which were
surrounded by four residential neighborhoods called
Bazaar, Sanglaj, Oudlajan, and Chaleh Meidan. The
co-presence of the bazaar, mosque, and residential
neighborhoods reveals the incorporation of commercial,
religious, and residential aspects in the first phase of
the urban development of Tehran [3, 4, 8].
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The Chronological Process of Changes in Iranian Urban Spaces – A Case Study: Tehran and Its Squares
763
Under Nasser-eddin Shah Qajar, the influence of
Western design, and in particular French styles, started
to become apparent in the various functions of the city.
This came about as a result of the presence of European
architects in Iran, and simultaneously, the return of
Iranian-educated architects and engineers from Europe,
and in particular from France. As explained by
Banimasoud in 2009, until the middle of the reign of
Nasser-eddin Shah Qajar, Tehran was known to be a
city with Iranian-Islamic features. From the middle of
the reign of Nasser-eddin Shah Qajar onwards, as a
result of the Western influence, Tehran began to
undergo a period of cultural eclecticism.
While the old part of the city kept its traditional
characteristics, the developing parts started to display
European and Western characteristics. In 1976,
Jamalzadeh described the features of Tehran at the end
of the Qajar dynasty, stating that the city showed signs
of civilization and modernization, but not in a complete
and proper sense; for instance, it had telephone lines
but not piped water; electric lights but not gas; a
national parliament but not a public library; and it had
tramways and automobiles, but not suitable streets for
them to traverse [3, 8, 11, 15].
A further explanation of how the relationship
between tradition and modernity is defined, interpreted,
and reflected in the urban context is beyond the scope
of this research; however, discussions of the
viewpoints of traditionalists and modernists have
formed a key part of the debates that have taken place
among contemporary intellectuals and critics. The
concept of “Iranian modernity” put forward by
Banimasoud in 2009 and “modernization without the
process of modernity” advanced by Ghobadian in 2004
are just two examples of the exciting variety and range
of discussions regarding these viewpoints. One
important facet of the concept of Iranian modernity in
this research is the consequences of the increasing
speed of development and expansion, the growth in
construction, and the increasing population inside the
newly expanded and ramparted Tehran [3, 4, 11, 16, 17].
6. A Capital without Surrounding Walls: Tehran at the Time of Reza Shah Pahlavi22 (1925-1941)
Under Reza Shah Pahlavi, as a result of political,
social, and economic transformations, Tehran
transitioned into an administrative-industrial society.
In order to make the city amenable to these
fundamental changes, the ramparts of the city were
demolished between 1932 and 1937, and the
surrounding moat filled. Furthermore, new
neighborhoods were constructed and added to certain
areas of the city, while some former residential
neighborhoods such as Sanglaj23 were completely
demolished and reconstructed [3, 4, 8].
In the process of these fundamental changes to the
spatial structure of the city, shaped under the effects of
the international movement of modernism, Tehran was
organized in a grid pattern, with streets forming
straight axes; in other words, the previous organic,
irregular, and spontaneous design of the city was
converted into a regular grid network of streets and
buildings, with the potential for expansion in all
directions. As a result, the façade and the identity of the
old town as a medieval city with surrounding walls
were changed into a city that had a completely new
look. The Iranian modernity that started under
Nasser-eddin Shah Qajar, and in particular since
middle of the reign of Nasser-eddin Shah Qajar, came
to its fullest extent at the time of Reza Shah Pahlavi.
This modernity, and then that of the Islamic Republic
(1979-present), entered a phase characterized by a
fissure between tradition and modernity [3, 4, 8, 16].
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I Safavid i
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kings that help9, 11]. It shou
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Fig. 14 PastAfsharid, andimage: Refs. [
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n the case of
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ase Study: Te
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The Chronological Process of Changes in Iranian Urban Spaces – A Case Study: Tehran and Its Squares
775
Footnotes
1. Also written “Khwarezmid” and “Khwarazmian”. 2. This dynasty enjoyed its fullest power in Iran in
1078-1221, after which wars resulted in the gradual decentralisation of the dynasty’s power. Depending on the source, the duration of authority of this dynasty is written as 1078-1221, 1078-1231, and 1078-1256.
3. Rey or Ray is one of the most ancient cities of Iran, with a history dating to 4,000 BCE. At present, this city is located in the southeast area of Tehran, in district 20. In other words, it is now a suburb of Tehran [16].
4. The original book is called “Asar-ol-Belad va akhbar-ol-Ebad”, and was written in Arabic in 1275. It was translated into Persian and modified later at the time of the Qajar dynasty (Mohammad Shah and Nasser-eddin Shah. It was then revised and additional material included, complemented by Mirhashem Mohaddes in 1994.
5. Also written as the “Safavi” dynasty. 6. Also written “Tahmasb”. 7. The shrine of Shah Abd-ol Azim is located in Rey and is a
key pilgrimage destination for Tehranians. The main areas of this shrine can be dated to 1335 [39].
8. Also written Royal “Arq” or “Arg”, this included the royal family’s dwelling and establishment.
9. The main mosque of the city is known as the Jameh Mosque. “Jameh” means “comprehensive” in Persian, and hence the Jameh Mosque is the city’s principal mosque [40].
10. All diagrams in this paper were graphically edited for presentation, and the text converted into English.
11. This is also written “Agha Mohammad Khan”. 12. This is also written “Nasser al-Din Shah or Nassereddin
Shah”. 13. The center of authority is also called Dar-ol-Khelafeh.
“Dar” in Persian means “house”, and the term “khelafeh” means “authority” and “command”. Hence, “Dar-ol-Khelafeh” means “the center of domination” [2-4, 8, 9, 11].
14. New Year in Iran is called Norouz and occurs at the spring equinox, equivalent to March 20-21.
15. The sources for this diagram are Refs. [3, 4, 11]. 16. The number of gates in Tehran rose to six under the Qajar
dynasty, before the time of Nasser-eddin Shah). 17. Tehran in the first period of the Qajar dynasty (Tehran
1794-1848). 18. Tehran in the second period of the Qajar dynasty (Tehran
in 1848-1925). 19. The sources for this diagram are Refs. [3, 4, 8, 11]. 20. The three gardens were called Khosrow Khan,
Qourkhaneh, and Amanollah Khan [11]. 21. The moat was functional until 1930. During the reign of
Reza Shah Pahlavi. Later, when the city walls were
demolished under Reza Shah Pahlavi, the moat was filled. 22. Reza Shah Pahlavi is also known as Pahlavi I. 23. For more details on the location of this neighborhood,
please see section 3 (“Becoming a city”) in this paper. 24. Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi is also known as Pahlavi
II. 25. The term “single-core” focuses on the central core of
Tehran, which has remained in the same place since the time of Shah Tahmasp I.
26. The demolition of the city’s ramparts took place in 1932-1937 under Reza Shah Pahlavi.
27. “Meidancheh” in the Persian language consists of two words: “meidan” and “cheh”. “Meidan” is equivalent to “square” and “cheh” is a suffix that denotes “small” [40].
28. “Bazaarcheh” in the Persian language consists of two words: “bazaar” and “cheh”. The suffix “cheh” means “small” [40].
29. Every year, on the day known as Ashura in Iran and other Islamic countries, a lamentation and public mourning is held for the commemoration of a holy figure in Shia Islam, Imam Husayn. Ashura is held on the 10th day of the month called Muharram, which is the first month of the Islamic Arabic calendar. Ashura was the day on which the tragic massacre of Karbala took place in 680 CE. In this massacre, the prophet’s grandson, Husayn, was killed, along with most of his close family members.
30. It should be noted that the main calendar in use in Iran, which was originally formed at the time of the Sassanid Empire, is called “Shamsi” (the Iranian solar calendar). This calendar has been modified and revised over time. In the present format—also known as the Jalali calendar—there are 12 months: Farvardin, Ordibehesht, Khordad, Tir, Mordad, Shahrivar, Mehr, Aban, Azar, Dey, Bahman, and Esfand. The year starts at the exact moment of the vernal equinox. The first six months have 31 days, while the next five have 30, and the last month, Esfand, can have 29 or 30 days. The Zoroastrian Sassanid, also known as the Sassanian Empire (224-651 CE), fell to the Arab Islamic invasion in 651 CE, but the Shamsi calendar that was formed in 621 CE remains the main calendar in use in Iran to the present [41-43].
31. The term “Old Tehran” here refers to the Safavid, Afsharid, Zand, and first-period Qajar dynasties. In other words, the means Tehran from 1501 to 1848 [3, 4].
References
[1] Gandy, M. 2006. “Urban Nature and the Ecological Imaginary.” In In the Nature of Cities, Urban Political Ecology and the Politics of Urban Metabolism, edited by Heynen, N., Kaika, M., and Swyngedouw, E. London and New York: Routledge, 62-73.
[2] Ghobadian, V. 2004. Architecture of Tehran during
The Chronological Process of Changes in Iranian Urban Spaces – A Case Study: Tehran and Its Squares
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