Iranian Architecture and Culture - Research Paper Example

The other aspect of the Iranian architecture is the Islamic Impact on the Iranian architecture. I will analyze the connection between the Islamic Impact on the architecture of Iran and the purpose of ancient techniques utilized in the Iranian architecture. Iran is blessed with the natural resources and thus the architecture remains dependent on the natural resources. Moreover, the architects maintained to utilize the local resources in the construction. The geography of Iran is much diverse. According to Ayatollahi (2003) “Because of its geographic diversity, Iranian Plateau has always been, and still is, regarded as the land of many riches”.

Besides the presence of natural resources, the Iranian architects always welcomed innovation. As Iran has a typical weather condition. In winters the temperature lowers to the freezing point and in summer the temperature rises to make it hot region. Climate has major impact on the architecture and Iranian architecture developed techniques to produce cold water in summer by storing the natural ice in the winter season. The method is pit storage of ice. The major reason for storing the ice is to preserve fruits, vegetables and utilization of water for the drinking purposes.

According to Mahdavinejad and Javanrudi (2012) “Ancient fridges are a pit with a sophisticated method to store ice in hot-arid climates. Ice prepared in winter season and reserves until hot seasons to keep meat, fruits and dairies, and also used as a method to making water cold and tasty”. The pits are of rectangular shaped, which are designed to store ice. According to Mahdavinejad and Javanrudi (2012), “The architecture of Iranian ancient fridges is analyzed with respect to the following factors: The architectural background of fridges in each hot-arid regions, Construction methods and materials, and Formation of the plans and sections”.

The walls of the fridges are not uniformly constructed. The width of the walls varies as the height of the walls varies. On the other hand due to the Islamic Impact in the regions, the major change on the architecture is the utilization of the towers, which are also known as ‘minarets’. Minarets are usually long slender towers, which are usually built near mosques. The major aim of a minaret is to define the ways towards the mosque. However, the minarets are equipped with some light source to show the way to the mosques at night.

The minarets are not only built near mosques but also near schools, road sides and also near other places. According to Iran Chamber Society (2012), “The tall structures built on roadsides or near caravansaries, schools, or other gathering places were originally watch-towers that also provided lighting for the surrounding areas”. In olden days, minarets provide a top position for the prayer caller to call the people for the prayers. Minaret has three basic parts Base or foundation, shaft and gallery (Iran Chamber Society n.p). The other important aspect of the Iranian architecture is the utilization of the dooms in the architecture.

Dooms also show Islamic influence on the Iranian architecture. Dooms have a significant value in the Islamic architecture due to the sound effects, produced by dooms. The payer call and the verses read during the prayers, echo several times due to dooms. Due to the echo, the loudness of the sound and range of the sound