Brickwork decorations on the exterior of Qajar and Pahlavi buildings in Birjand

Brick is one of the most important building materials in Iranian architecture, with a notable appearance throughout the Islamic period. In the realm of brickwork, the Seljuk, Qajar, and Pahlavi periods are noteworthy. The scope of this paper is to recognize the external brickwork decorations of historic Qajar and Pahlavi buildings in Birjand, as well as the social and cultural aspects that influence them. So, the paper queries what are the brick decorations of Qajar and Pahlavi structures in Birjand, and which social and cultural events influenced them? The research method is descriptive-analytical and the method of data collection is library and especially field studies. Findings show that the brick forms of Birjand buildings include pilaster, door arches, windows and casing and pediment. Also decorative brick patterns include verge, casing text, single elements and tracery of monuments. Patterns with various brick compositions such as cross, asleep, herringbone, and abstract that they have appeared next to each other. It also made clear that there were influences of socio-political events on brick ornamentation of the monuments of this study which is noteworthy to be mentioned of Birjand’s strategic location, as well as its commercial and pivotal role in defending Sistan’s territory and guarding the eastern borders during the Qajar period, the presence of tourists and agents as a result of the British invasion of India and proximity to Iran, the establishment of new schools, and the opening of the British Consulate in Birjand. The sale of the region's carpets on global markets resulted in economic prosperity, capital production, and merchants, resulting in the incorporation of European ornamentation into Birjand’s architecture. Thus, the architectural ornamentations were not just the outcome of artistic visions, rather the social, political and economic contexts influenced greatly on architecture as a venue for artistic manifestation in late 19th and early 20th century of Iran.