Persian Sense of Beauty
Bavand Behpour
Memar Magazine, Iran, Fall 2003


They say, we Persians have a rich cultural heritage, OK, I agree. But, how can we put it into the use? How would we ever dare bridge the gap between our present and our antiquated past?

Antiquity devotees would nod in sympathy: you should drop the covering, the product and hold on to the process. It's the Permanent Values of Traditional Architecture that you should resort and hang on to.

OK! I'll try to learn the permanent values of our traditional architecture, but, do I need not to first penetrate through the minds of our ancestors to understand their way of thinking and living? I, personally, believe we would feel rather disappointed if we do!

Today, we need different products, the process of our art production has alerted, and our values don't have remained unchanged either.

If we have no other choice, but to build on the basis of our own culture, the question would be, "what should we build then"? I'd say a Persian modernism. And by that, I don't mean an implanted sort, but one deeply Persian in its origin. Is that possible? Well, at least we can agree its not inconceivable, since we all admit the fact that there is such a thing as Persian Culture: It's a civilization composed of different elements inspired by different cultures, but totally, Persian in its essence and harmonized well enough to be distinguished as a unique culture.

There's no proof to the statement than the fact that Persian art could be comprehended just within the context of the Persian culture.

Artistic forms grow and evolve on the ground of relevant civilizations. As civilizations decline, the process of art making starts to vanish, while these forms continue to survive. We can ask ourselves, what makes a modern French artwork, well, French. In my opinion, such work is rather modern in its content, but French in form. It's not important at all, whether the content is French or not. Good themes are mostly global. It'd be enough for a work of art, to have something of the French sense of beauty, in order to be recognized as French. Most forms are local; those few global forms are rare and are mostly related to the very basic needs of human beings. That's why I think as far as the problem of identity is concerned. The role of "form" has been underestimated.

To my view, we need to adopt, instead of Persian ideology, a systematic account of the Persian esthetics and Persian sense of beauty. Beauty is judged according to its corresponding culture, but ideas are judged by criterion other than the nationality of the believer. It's the Persian culture that appeals to us. And as long as we feel and comprehend it, it's still alive and active.

I'd like to introduce a building that backs up the arguments of the article. It's not a very noble work of art though, but in some aspects, it's unique. I don't think, there'd be many other examples, in which a foreign architect, using the traditional element of Persian architecture, without disturbing its Persian spirit, has managed to design, in terms of building type and function, a traditional building with a totally different content, a church. Zealous Simon's Church in Shiraz is such a building.

Although this building is neither an example of Persian modernism nor a completely successful architectural work, one can learn a very interesting lessons from it: As long as Persian sense of beauty is present, the content could consist of anything. If we recognize the impression of this building as a Persian one, and it actually creates such as impression, we'll have to segregate the term "Persian Architecture" from that of "Islamic Architecture". This building, considering its function, is obviously not "Islamic".

Persian architecture builds caravansaries and bazaars, as well as mosques and medrassahs (not forgetting the fire-temples and palaces), and in this case has created a church. Sash windows taken from Yazd's houses and installed in the church's stone walls, match the rest of the building so well one might imagine they have been there from the very beginning!

The whole building is designed with a kind of childish delight, as if the architect has intended to put together in one building, whatever he has found admirable in Persian architecture. The result, however, has in no way ended up in eccentricity or lack of harmony. The sign of cross goes so well with the arabesque patterns that gives the viewer no chance to recognize its totally different origin at the first glance.

The vaults carry no specific meaning; they just carry the load of the roof. And, they're beautiful, absolutely beautiful: The building has not been designed by following a series of prearranged frameworks, neither by the imitation of construction processes, and nor by the mimicry of traditional values. It's just a new composition in the same esthetic system. The subject of this building is a traditional one, but it could have easily been modern as well.