1. Pick three structures in Isfahan from different time periods and describe them in a complete paragraph. In addition to general details, be sure in this paragraph to explain their architectural and societal functions (what purpose did they serve), how they fit into their historical period, and what drew you to these particular buildings.
The Tomb of Shahshahan
This was the first building I looked at because the name was so unique. The building was a Timurid shrine, and is theoried that the tomb was built by Muhamma bin-Baysunghur in rememberance of Sheikh Ala Al-Din Muhammad who descended from the third Imam of the Shiites, the grandson of the prophet. He was actually executed at the order of Ghawar Shad, the wife of Timur’s fourth son, for supporting a revolt by Muhammad. The shrine was built after he died in 1447. The shrine was also used as a maternity hospital, and because of this they has two kinds of door knockers. One for Men and one for Women, this had a purpose so that the women knew if they needed to cover themselves or not.
Masjed-e-Hakim
This building was constructed between 1656 and 1662 by a doctor “Shah Abbas the second”. The structure has not survived well over the years, certainly not as well as its neighbor Masjed-e-jomah. It was originally built out of plaster, and little has outlasted the elements. The entrance for this mosque, known as the Portal of Jorjir is one of the oldest religious buildings in Isfahan.
Darb-e-Imam
This structure was built on the grounds of an ancient cemetery in 1453. It was built by Jalal Al-Din Safarshah. The building is constructed of two domes. The first, and smaller dome built in 1601, and then a larger dome built in 1670. It’s interesting how it was built in stages so many years apart, and the style made this building very different from the others. This shrine is important to the Shiites because of the two descendants of Ali it holds. They are Ibrahim Tabatabi and Zayn al-Abidayn.
2. Again in a complete paragraph write about how the architecture of Salt Lake City compares to Isfahan. Include what is similar and what is different about the buildings of the two cities. Are there structures in Salt Lake City that would provide insight into American culture and tradition (not just Utah culture)? {that is: what would a foreigner looking at our buildings on a website be able to understand about Americans from their buildings. Think a bit more than usual about these questions. I want you to act like archaeologists or anthropologists and try to think about what our buildings tell about ourselves}[If you are outside of Utah, you may use another large U.S. city near your location].
I don’t think you could even compare the two, except for one trait. The building we have in Salt Lake City are not even close to being as old as the ones in Isfahan. We might have a few buildings from the 1800’s still around but they were mostly industrial buildings and did not have much architecture and fancy design to them. In Isfahan the buildings had a certain elegance to them, and had intricate details. I did notice the buildings in Isfahan, and in a lot of modern buildings today, that they have domes on top. The state capital has a dome, just like many of the old buildings in Isfahan. I think our more modern and current buildings show the American creativeness and wealth. Our buildings today are modern, expensive, and have a dual purpose of looking nice, and functioning as office buildings, or homes.
