An iwan (Persian: ایوان eyvān, Arabic: إيوان Iwan)[1][2] is a rectangular hall or space, usually vaulted, walled on three sides, with one end entirely open. The formal gateway to the iwan is called pishtaq, a Persian term for a portal projecting from the facade of a building, usually decorated with calligraphy bands, glazed tilework, and geometric designs.[3][4]
Iwans were a trademark of the Parthian Empire (247 BC–AD 224) and later the Sassanid architecture of Persia ( 224 -651.), later finding their way throughout the Arab and Islamic architecture which started developing in 7th century AD, after the period of Muhammad (c. 570 – 632).[5] This development reached its peak during the Seljuki era, when iwans became a fundamental unit in architecture, and later the Mughal architecture.[6][7] The form is not confined to any particular function, and is found in buildings for either secular or religious uses, and in both public and residential architecture.
Strictly the term iwan refers to the room, not to the portico or arch with which it is often fronted. The four-centred arch typically opens on to a central courtyard or Sehan.
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The Iwan of Khosrau
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The Iwan of Khosrau is a Sassanid-era Persian monument in Mada'in which is the only visible remaining structure of the ancient city of Ctesiphon. It is near the modern town of Salman Pak, Iraq. Construction began during the reign of Khosrau I after a campaign against the Eastern Romans in 540 AD.[8] The arched iwan hall, open on the facade side, was about 37 meters high 26 meters across and 50 meters long, the largest vault ever constructed at the time.[9]
The Great Iwan of Cairo
The Great Iwan (or al-Iwan al-Kabir, Dar al-'Adl, Iwan of al-Nasir) of Cairo was a public and ceremonial space located in the southern section of the Saladin Citadel where the Mamluk sultan sat enthroned to administer justice, receive ambassadors, and carry out other duties of state. The structure used to be known as Dar al-'Adl during the reign of Saladin, the Mamluk ruler of the Bahri dynasty Al-Nasir Muhammad rebuilt the monumental structure twice, in 1315 and 1334. The Great Iwan was demolished by Muhammad Ali Pasha in the early 19th century.
The 19th century Description de l'Egypte depicted a square hypostyle structure with five parallel aisles and a dome. The building was open to the exterior on three sides through arcades, and the main façade was articulated with a large central arch flanked by two smaller arches on either side.[10][11]
Gallery
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The entrance to the iwan of the Wazir Khan Mosque, Lahore, Pakistan.
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The iwan of the National Museum of Iran was designed with the architectural precedent of Ctesiphon in mind.
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Iwans are also used in residential architecture. The main iwan of the Amerian House, Kashan, Iran.
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The Badshahi Masjid with an iwan in the centre, Lahore, Pakistan.
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The entrance to the iwan of the Jama Masjid, Delhi, India.
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Intricate designs fronting the iwan of the Ulugh Beg Madrassa, Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
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Great Mosque of Esfahan, scale model showing the court with the four iwans.
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King Saud Mosque, Jeddah, an Iwan in the central court.
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Iwan of the Friday Mosque of Herat
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Humayun's Tomb from the Entrance, Delhi.jpg
Humayun's Tomb with the Entrance to the iwan, Delhi.
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Central iwan of Qila-i-Kuhna Mosque of Sher Shah Suri, 1541 CE
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See also
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Iwans (architecture) |
References
- ^ Wright, G.R.H. (1992). Ancient building in Cyprus. Brill. p. 508. ISBN 9004095470.
- ^ Boas, Adrian J. (2010). Domestic Settings: Sources on Domestic Architecture and Day-to-Day Activities in the Crusader States. Brill. p. 366. ISBN 9789004182721.
- ^ Dictionary of Islamic architecture: Pishtaq archnet.org.
- ^ Pishtaq Britannica.com.
- ^ "Dictionary of Islamic architecture: Ivvan". archnet.org. https://archnet.org/library/dictionary/entry.jsp?entry_id=DIA0162&mode=full.
- ^ Farrokh, Kaveh (2007). Shadows in the desert: ancient Persia at war. Osprey Publishing. p. 173. ISBN 1846031087.
- ^ Traditional houses in Baghdad, John Warren, Ihsan Fethi. p.30
- ^ Reade, Dr Julian (1999). Scarre, Chris. ed. The Seventy Wonders of the Ancient world The Great Monuments and How they were Built. Thames & Hudson. pp. 185–186. ISBN 0500050961.
- ^ Iran, Seven Faces of Civilization - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtcE37IIqfQ&feature=related
- ^ Rabbat, Nasser O. 1989. Citadel of Cairo (Geneva: AKTC), p. 11-13.
- ^ Gillispie, Charles Coulston & Michel Dewachter. 1987. Monuments of Egypt : the Napoleonic edition : the complete archaeological plates from La description de l'Egypte. (Princeton, NJ : Princeton AP & Architectural League of NY, The J. Paul Getty Trust).
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