Typology Research of the Northwest Iran’s Railway Stations’ Architecture (The Qajar Period to Present)

The railways, as a gateway to urban life and an achievement of technology, reflect the characteristics of the culture and identity of each community, which are also presented in the architectural styles of its stations. Railway stations have been of great historical importance by changing the intellectual horizon of the people. Today, railway stations do not only serve as a mean for people to travel and transport, but also, they are being constructed for their aesthetic and symbolic values. In this regard, old railway stations are the most significant ones as they increase the value of their surroundings and are capable to help practice sustainable architecture. The initial stations were mainly derived from endemic architecture styles and materials, resulting in enduring buildings. However, the typology of the architecture of the old railway stations in Iran has not been studied adequately especially in different periods of time and consequently, the need for a comprehensive study in this matter is striking. Therefore, by using the qualitative-analytical method and collecting data from various documents, old books, and field observations, this research aims to study and analyze the physical characteristics of 116 Iran’s northwestern railway stations (Tehran - Tabriz) in four periods of Qajar, first and second Pahlavi and The Islamic Republic to identify the physical patterns of the railway stations of each period. The main question that this paper tries to answer is: “what are the differences between railway stations’ architectural body during various periods of time in the northwestern line of Tehran-Tabriz?” First of all, railway stations of each period in the research area were identified one by one, and afterward, by a detailed analysis, the typology of the identified stations’ architectural body was classified for each period. The identified factors for evaluation were the plan’s type, number of floors, type of roof, the used materials in the station’s facade, and the number of ornaments. These factors were considered separately in the railway stations of each of the four periods. The results of the research indicate a significant reduction in the variety of patterns used over time, except for the number of floors in the period of the Islamic Republic with two and three-floors stations with more variety of uses, the type of materials used, roof type, type and proportions of the plan and the number of decoration patterns studied in this period, have lost their variety during the time. To construct railway stations in the period of the Islamic Republic, there has been a tendency towards flat roofs and a plan type that has a relatively monotone structure without decorations. The current research identifies the architectural body of historical railway stations, in order to plan for future development and reuse them while preserving their originality and historical identity, as part of the cultural heritage of Iranian society. Additionally, future studies can focus on a more detailed analysis such as determining differences between the various materials in each part of the building like façade, floor, walls, and ornaments during time periods.