Behesht Cultural Center Historical Monument Analysis
Reihaneh Mohamadi
Supervisor, Master of Restoration of Historic Buildings and Textures, Professor at Islamic Azad University of Mashhad Mohamadi.reihaneh@gmail.com
Afarin Amirhassankhani
Author, Bachelor of Architectural Engineering, Islamic Azad University of Mashhad afarin.ahk@gmail.com
Abstract
Nothing can introduce you to the culture of different ethnic groups as much as historical monuments. That is why monuments hold an important place in the world, and governments are doing their best to maintain them as much as possible. Considering the extent of Iranian historical monuments, in the following we intend to analyze one of the historical monuments of Mashhad.
Behesht Cultural Center, located on Jannat Street, has a historical background of more than 80 years and belongs to the Qajar and Pahlavi I eras. The process of architectural change in Iran took place slowly before the Qajar period, but from the middle of the Qajar period, due to more relations between Iran and the West, this process accelerated and in the Pahlavi period, this pace continued and extensive and fundamental changes took place that had never been seen before. Behesht Cultural Center has architectural and decorative features and patterns of the Qajar and Pahlavi I eras, but due to the lack of inscriptions, its exact date cannot be determined. In this article, by studying the architectural features of the Qajar and Pahlavi I periods and comparing them with the features of this monument, we come to the conclusion that this building belongs to which period.
Keywords: Behesht Cultural Center, Qajar, Pahlavi I, Introversion, Symmetry
Introduction
Before representing architectural tech niques, a historical monument reflects the way of thinking, beliefs, convictions and values of the people of that country. Behesht Cultural Center, in the west of Modares Boulevard, is one of the most famous historical monuments in Mashhad. In this regard, in the past few years, Mashhad Municipality has restored and preserved this old building.
The approach of this cultural center is to strengthen the urban identity and introduce Mashhad as a cultural and religious nation, increase social solidarity, influence the direction of physical space and urban plans, strengthen local, national and Islamic val ues and increase the vitality and morale of citizens. The construction of the park has strengthened these goals.
of the aqueduct of Sanabad village and is considered to be the oldest neighborhood of the city after Noghan. The Behesht Cul tural Center building is located in Imam Khomeini street of Mashhad, and has access to Jannat street from the south and Modares street from the north. Its approximate area is 2000 square meters and its infrastructure is 700 square meters. The construction of this building goes back to around 1931, but due to the lack of in scription, its exact date can not be deter mined. But based on oral documents, el ements and details, features used in the building, studies in historical books and old photos of Mashhad, the building can be dated to 85 years ago, ie late Qajar and early Pahlavi, and due to its new use, this building is known as Behesht Cultural Cen ter.
This monument has been registered as one of Iran’s National Heritages on July 3, 2005 with the registration number 12070. This building was first restored by the mu nicipality in 2003 and then in 2016 and 2017, which resulted in the discovery of an underground waterway on the south side of the building.
2-2- Qajar Era (1789-1925)
2- Historical Background
2-1- Behesht Cultural Center
The place, which is called Behesht Cultural Center today, used to be one of the hun dred buildings in Sarab neighborhood of Mashhad, which is named after the mirage
From the beginning of Nasser al-Din Shah’s reign until the end of the Qajar dy nasty, due to Nasser al-Din Shah’s travels, Iranian students studying in Europe and the influence of the governing body and the elites of the society, a style of architecture began that was an eclectic mix of native and western architecture.
The architecture of this period was known as postcard architecture. The postcard part
of this architecture was due to the fact that when the Faculty of Architecture was not yet established in Iran, postcards and pho tographs of Europe arrived, which were the basis for ordering the design of a building to the architect.
Thus, a number of architectural elements entered Iranian architecture, some of which were taken from classical and neoclassical European architecture, and the other part was influenced by modern architecture.
2-3- Pahlavi I (1925-1941)
The formation of modern Iran began with the coming to power of Reza Khan in 1925 and the neoclassical style was the most dominant style of the first Pahlavi archi tecture until the end of 1941. Special and different features and elements used in the Pahlavi period, led to the formation and naming of this architecture as modern architecture or contemporary Iranian archi tecture. During this period, the old elements completely disappeared and new elements were formed according to the new needs.
3- Introduction to the building
The first use of this building was Mostofi High School, but a little later it was considered for holding big celebrations. It was rented for a short time as a venue for weddings, and then the meeting place of the Seven-member board for resolving land disputes in Mashhad (after the Is lamic Revolution (by the Foundation for the Underprivileged). It remained unused for a while and aftewards, the municipality
turned this building into a cultural center in a completely favorable action. Until 2005, the open space in front of this building was used as a parking lot, but in 2006 this space changed and is still used as a garden. (Fig 2, Fig 3)
Renovated beam ceilings and wooden win dows with old style, pediment spaces dec orated above the windows, porch facade brickwork with dormant style, molded porch roof, old heaters, colored tiles in turquoise, yellow, Brown, black and white are the prominent features of this building.
(Fig 4, Fig 11)
3-1- Extraversion
Iranian architec ture is divided into two types “extrovert“ and “introvert“. The buildings that have a direct connection with the outside space and are surrounded by green space or courtyard are “extrovert“. The main feature of Qajar architecture was introversion, but at the end of this pe riod, the feature of extroversion gradually replaced the introversion in the building, which is also due to the influence of Western culture and architecture in Iranian society. Thus, the phenomenon of extraversion became the main cause of shape changes in the architecture of the Pahlavi period,
- Fig 3, 3D Model, Aerial View - Fig 4, Old Heatersand the decorations of buildings and struc tures occurred in their outer part.
Extroverted architecture may have four facades, which are divided into two types:
1. Its four views are equal in weight
2. The views are symmetrical in pairs The facade of extroverted buildings is usu ally connected to the outside environment by a porch. The architecture of this build ing is extroverted and its north-south and east-west views are equal in weight. In the northern facade of this building, the con nection with the outside environment has been established by a porch. (Fig 1, Fig 8)
4- Decorations
In the early Qajar period, the use of plaster ing and tiling in the interior facades of the building is evident, but with the passage of this period and especially with the start of the Pahlavi period, the use of intricate decorations in interior design decreases.
The important point in the field of remov ing decorations is that in this period, due to the speed in the construction of buildings, which was one of the consequences of modernism entering architecture, the simplification of buildings and the elimi nation of decorations led to the economic use of architecture. This achievement was so strong that modern Iranian architecture became an economic style. Therefore, this period can be considered as the first time when architecture was introduced as an economic commodity.
Decorations in the architecture of buildings before 1933 are important from two aspects of materials and design, each of these two aspects also include composite and inte grated forms. (Chart 1, “The place of dec orative brickwork in the architecture of the first Pahlavi period” Article) During the Qa jar period, high quality materials and en gravings were used. The inscriptions used
- Chart 1, Decorative Arts in Architecture- Fig 5, 3D Model, Bird View
in the Qajar period are made of plaster, brick, tile and wood, and most of the decorations of the entrances are made of plaster, brickwork and tiling. In the architectural decora tions of the first Pahlavi period, techniques and materials left from the Qajar period can still be seen. This decorative heritage is in the form of a combination of different materials in decorative art.
4-1- Brick Work
In the first Pahlavi period, the use of bricks was like the past, and not only did it not decrease, but it flourished (especially in the first decade of the government). In a short time, the new texture of those decades be came a harmonious form of brick buildings in yellow and red colors. All of them had
decorative phenomenon that can be con sidered as a unique, new and different style. Brickwork is one of the main decorations of the exterior and interior of this building.
4-2- Tile Work
The beautiful art of tiling is one of the hand icrafts and ancient arts of Iran, the most beautiful and oldest of which are the tur quoise tiles of Isfahan and the historical inscriptions of the minarets of the Seljuk period are decorated with them. The paints used in the old tile work have a high re sistance because they are a combination of lead and tin, so after centuries, these paints still retain their special beauty. How ever, new imported colors change color very quickly and do not have the durability and stability of old colors.
In this building, the floor of the interior spaces is turquoise tiles, which are not visible at present due to the restoration of the build ing. The pediment of exterior windows are also decorated with tiled decorations that have retained their color over the years.
harmonious views in one or two floors. Due to the influence of European architecture and modern architecture in this era, the influence of Western style decorations can be seen in the works of this period. For this reason, in the brick decorations of the buildings of the first Pahlavi period, we are faced with both types of decorations, brick decorations with traditional and Islamic de signs and patterns, and brick decorations in the style of European architecture. Therefore, the buildings of this period, have decorative brick designs in the building in the form of new and unfamiliar compositions. A
4-3- Column
In the late Qajar and early Pahlavi eras, the common use of gable caused the column to reappear in the facade of the building. Huge decorated and patterned columns appeared in the villas and palaces of the rich. Most of these columns belonged to the Baroque style.
The main body of some columns is cylin drical in shape, but most of the columns can be found with a cross section of four or hexagons, and more attention is paid to the top of the column.
In this building, double cylindrical columns
- Fig 6, Windows
- Fig 7, New building plan, ground floor, symmetry of interior spaces
- Fig 7, New building plan, first floor, symmetry of interior spaces
facing Modarres Street and the porch form the main view of the building, in which there are no special decorations. The main porch of this building also has two cylindrical col umns in the Baroque style with no special decorations. (Fig 1)
4-4- Pediment
Pediment is the triangular forehead of the entrance of the building, which in ancient Greece was the place of embossed design and inscription, and later it was widely used in Roman architecture. This form maintained its use and continuity in architecture until it was finally introduced to Iranian architecture and during the Qajar period, pediment was used in many buildings.
In the windows of this building, special Roman pediment decorations have been used. (Fig 6)
4-5- Symmetry
One of the characteristic features of brick decorations in buildings of the late Qajar and early Pahlavi eras is the observance of symmetry in the design. In fact, all the build ings that have been created in the style of ancient Iranian architecture and traditional style and the names of the past or neoclas sical European architecture, also have the symmetry feature. Therefore, this feature in brick decorations can be considered as a tendency towards the past or the use of pre-modern styles. (Fig 7, Fig 8)
5- Facade
5-1- Porch
The use of vertical linear signs and ele ments that were used to show grandeur and splendor in the buildings, is one of the remarkable features of the buildings of the Pahlavi era. In the porch of this building, high and elongated columns, as a vertical linear element, show the influence of the ancient architecture of ancient Iran. (Fig 1)
5-2- Openings
In the architecture of the Pahlavi period, the windows became very important and were unveiled for the first time.
In fact, in this period, for the first time, win dows were opened one after the other and the courtyard walls were shortened. The windows give a new respect to the alleys and streets and they have more arrange ment.
The doors and windows of this building are latticed and all wooden, and colored glass is used in the entrances. The use of lattice windows and stained glass is a feature of Qajar architecture. (Fig 6)
5-3- Symmetry
In buildings located inside a complex, the main facade is symmetrical to its entrance. But the spaces attached to both sides of the building may not be symmetrical, although they have a symmetrical rhythm. (Fig 7, Fig 8)
- Fig 8, East and West Facade
- Fig 8, North and South Facade
6- Materials
In the late Qajar period, and especially with the coming to power of Reza Khan, the use of new materials common in Eu rope, found a special place in architecture that after five years and with the encour agement and support of Reza Khan, Irani an architects used these new materials to build buildings.
The expansion of construction in the Pahla vi period was accompanied by a significant increase in building materials. While be fore this period most of the buildings were made of raw clay, thatch, baked bricks, plaster or mortar, in this period with the es tablishment of brick kilns, the production of different types of bricks increased.
With the advent of new materials such as iron and steel, concrete and glass, new methods of construction were developed.
The use of new building materials and methods led to the growth of another di mension of architecture, namely height or
depth.
The arrival of new Western materials in creased the speed of construction, which was one of the features of the Pahlavi pe riod.
Brick is the basis of this building and gypsum mortar and lime sand are used in it. The stairs are also made of brick with stone tread and the floor of the interior spaces is tiled.
7- Architectural Spaces
In the Pahlavi period, the appearance of the building was able to take elements of the past architecture of Iran, but inside the building could not accommodate the previous spatial relations. Meanwhile, stairs and corridors were of great importance in reg ulating the functional relations of interior spaces, and other elements such as water, fountain, garden and plants were brought out of the building.
This building includes the ground floor and the first floor. The building is 4 steps lower than the floor of Jannat Street. The entrance door of the building from Jannat Street is 6 steps higher and the entrance door from Modares Street is 2 steps lower than the ground level.
The entrance foyer on the ground floor, with stairs that start in the middle of the foyer and continue in two opposite branch es, is the influence of Russian architecture, which is accompanied by elements such as tiling, mirroring, plastering and plinthing, and forms part of Qajar architecture. On the ground floor, there is a staircase next to the guardhouse and one next to the warehouse to access the first floor. (Fig 10) At the entrance and the ground floor corridors, the roof is beamed and paved. This floor has rocking arches in the corri dors leading to the windows. (Fig 11) The garden space is completely open. From 2006 until today, trees and plants play a key role in beau
tifying this garden, but before 2004, this space was used as a parking lot. (Fig 2, Fig 3)
8- Conclusion
Studies presented on the architectural features of the Qajar and Pahlavi I periods and their comparison with the features of this monument, show that while the Behesht Cultural Center has the features of both periods, but most of its features are related to the time when the Iranian architecture has been on the path of change from the architecture of the Qajar period to the ar chitecture of the Pahlavi period. As a result, this building belongs to the first Pahlavi period, but some features of the Qajar period can still be seen in it. (Chart 2)
References
1. Registration report of Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization “Behesht Cultur al Center”
2. Article reviewing the architectural features of the Qajar period
3. The book of Iranian cultural image
4. Iran newspaper; Interview with Engineer Hadi Mirmiran
5. Interview with ”Ali Reza Bahrman”, Mas ter of Restoration; Taken from the Art and Architecture Blog
6. The effect of European architecture on Iranian architecture in the Qajar period
7. Architectural typology article in Iran
8. Introversion article in Iranian architecture
9. ?Study of new components of architec ture in the Pahlavi period” Article
10. “The place of decorative brickwork in the architecture of the first Pahlavi period” Article
EraPahlavi
Pahlavi I