Architectural Historiography of Iran during the First half of the 14th Century (SH)

The purpose of restoration is to preserve the life of the monuments, and the purpose of architectural historiography is to reflect the knowledge of past architecture. Monument, as the main subject of the action and subject of the study of restoration is regarded in architectural history as a witness by which a narrative of architectural history can be achieved. In addition to this theoretical framework, the aspects of studies can be followed by practical restoration in Iran, particularly in the early decades of the formation of restoration. Architectural historiography in Iran has been presented in a variety of ways where it is possible to approach architectural works and documents. In this study, restoration is assumed to be one of these ways. Because due to the experience of conservation and restoration of the Iranians, which has a history of nearly a century, for addressing architectural works and executive actions, documents and data have been provided that can be contemplated in architectural historiography. The first half of the fourteenth century has been the focus of this research due to the first systematic attention to architectural works. The research is designed to answer these questions: “What are the sources and documents related to the study of architectural works from the restoration experiences of the first half of the fourteenth century (SH) in Iran?”, and “What is the position of these writings in architectural historiography?” Because the subject is related to past, the method of research is “interpretive-historical”, and it is based on desk research. It is the purpose of the research that explains the position of restoration in relation to historiography. For this purpose, the primary sources of this research include papers, notes, and books on the subject of architectural historiography. Historiography of the buildings examined in this study include: Jame Mosque, Tomb of Babaqasim, Imamzadeh Ismail and Chahar Bagh School in Isfahan, Atigh Mosque of Shiraz, Kourosh Tomb, Kerman Green Dome, Khaneghah-e Bondarabad and one of gate in Yazd, Sheikh Safi and Ghara Kelisa (Blake Church) in Azarbaijan, etc. The classification of documents and sources shows the following research findings, researches made at this time, or in the form of architectural books such as Athar-e Iranand Rahnamaye Athar-e Tarikhiye Azarbayejane Sharghi va Gharbi(a guide to East and West Azerbaijan historical monuments), or independent short and long research that is published in the form of papers. The second type of historiography was mainly carried out by Iranian scholars who supervised the restoration. Because these researchers were directly dealing with monuments and discovering new evidences, they published papers about buildings. The result is that, although the restorations were executed in the first half of the 14thcentury (SH) in field works, however, some part of the research efforts of some these restoration supervisors served to study the monuments, and sometimes it was presented in Iranian architectural historiography. The results of the published researches are the first experiences of Iranians in architectural historiography of Iran.