The first rampart of Tehran was built in 1554 in Safavid era, during the reign of shah Tahmasb 1st. It is still called to as the Tahmasbi Rampart and contained four gateways at the time: Shemiran Gate to the north, Dulab Gate to the east, Shah Abdul Azim gate to the south, and Qazvin gate to the west. Two other gates had also been built later: Dowlat Gate had been added to it during the period of Afghan occupancy to the northern rampart where the citadel and the rampart shared the walls. The gate was to provide the occupants with a safe passage to flee if the citadel would be in a state of siege. The construction of Mohammadia Gate in Southern walls of the city had been constructed during late years of Mohammad shah (a Qajar king). The gate had finally come into use during the reign of Nasseroddin – shah of Qajar. At the middle years of his reign in 1867, all of the mentioned gates had been destroyed along with the other parts of the city’s fortifications in order to build a new rampart with 12 gates. The only gate that still exists is the Mohammadia gate which had also acted as an entrance to the Bazar. Today there is no evidence of the gates, but a few numbers of visual records and historical maps. Some tourists and ambassadors have described these fortifications and gates in their journals and books. The largest collection of the pictures is belonged to Emil de Hose who traveled to Iran in 1858. In some pictures, one could recognize the architectural aspects. There are three historical maps that contain valuable information about Tehran surrounded by remained walls since Safavid Era. The earliest map belongs to Naskov and has been drawn in 1826 for the Russian army. The second one has been drawn in 1842 by Nikolayevich Berezin. In 1860 a group of Iranian students supervised by an Austrian professor, named Kriziz had completed the third map. In this paper the information derived from all documents are utilized to specify formal differences or similarities as well as general features of gateways. Results indicate that all the Safavid gates had defensive roles and constructed as parts of the. City’s fortifications. Though this role had become of less importance in later Afghan gate, and the last gate – louilt in Qajar era – acted as was rather an entrance, rather a defensive part of the rampart. The Safavid Gates had been built much stronger than the later ones with two massive watchtowers at each side of the entrance. There was also a round watchtower outside the gates at a distance of each which were built during the Zand era. According to the documents in the Afghan gate, the proportions of the main watchtowers had noticeably been reduced. These towers could not be seen in Mohammadia gate. Compared to the Qajar gates, it is deduced that last gate of the Tahmasbi rampart, is a prototype for the gates of the Qajar era. Moreover, using the common rules that shaped most of these gates, a model is presented which demonstrates the main elements and their composition in gateways of Tehran’s Safavid rampart.
Haj Yasini, H., & Arzhmand, M. (2012). Tehran Gateways in the Safavid Era. Journal of Architecture and Urban Planning, 5(9), 105-129. doi: 10.30480/aup.2012.147
MLA
Haleh Haj Yasini; Mahmood Arzhmand. "Tehran Gateways in the Safavid Era". Journal of Architecture and Urban Planning, 5, 9, 2012, 105-129. doi: 10.30480/aup.2012.147
HARVARD
Haj Yasini, H., Arzhmand, M. (2012). 'Tehran Gateways in the Safavid Era', Journal of Architecture and Urban Planning, 5(9), pp. 105-129. doi: 10.30480/aup.2012.147
VANCOUVER
Haj Yasini, H., Arzhmand, M. Tehran Gateways in the Safavid Era. Journal of Architecture and Urban Planning, 2012; 5(9): 105-129. doi: 10.30480/aup.2012.147