Comparative Comparison of Iwan Proportions in Safavid Mosques of Isfahan

Problem statement: 

Given the importance of the Iwan as a main element in the architecture of mosques, this research is an attempt to investigate the proportions used in the Iwans of these buildings as a tool to create a desirable and lasting architectural effect. This research compared the geometrical proportions of Iwans in seven mosques as targeted samples. The mosques of the Safavid period of Isfahan were chosen because the Iranian-Islamic architecture reached its peak in this period and Isfahan was the capital of these manifestations. The Safavid period in Isfahan is divided into three periods from the history and governance point of view. From each period, mosques were selected and analyzed based on the distribution of the time when they had the most geometric diversity in the Iwan.

Given the importance of mosques in the Safavid period, it seems that specific proportions were used in the design and construction of the Iwans of these mosques, and the present research was aimed at discovering the proportions of the Iwans of selected mosques.

The research method is inductive. The investigated samples were selected non-randomly, and the dimensions and sizes of mosque Iwans were analyzed and checked by examining the proportions in a quasi-experimental way. The data used in this research has been collected by reviewing library documents, map analysis and field survey.

Among the examples compared, as targeted samples of the Safavid era in Isfahan, the same proportions can be observed between the Iwans of each period, and in the view of all the examples, Iranian proportions are derived from regular hexagons. These ratios are closer to 1:1. 18 and 1:1. 3 in the first period, 1:1. 18 in the second period, and 1:1. 7 and 1:1. 14 in the third period.