Iranian Vernacular Architecture: An Alter-Na[rra]tive

Iranian [Persian] vernacular architecture is often associated with warm temperatures and dry conditions in the literature. Historic design solutions and centuries-long technological advancements to tackle and solve extreme heat conditions with novel ‘smart’ and ‘sustainable’ cooling ideas are the mainstream narratives in the existing literature. While the major focus of existing literature is the hot, arid climates, this chapter addresses two emerging gaps in the scholarship. Firstly, little account is taken of the historical accounts of the very diverse geographical landscapes and climatic conditions in Iran. To address this gap, narratives, and references are drawn from historical texts, such as descriptions of the country taken from the Balkhi School of Geographers that date back to the tenth century and combined to create a continuous picture of the climate and historic geographies of Iran. As detailed historical discourses on the regional climates, divisions and terrains of Iran are discussed for its first gap, the chapter focuses on Azerbaijan as one of the regions that has been described by the scholars of the Balkhi school. Three distinct examples of vernacular architecture and related exemplars are discussed, emphasising the role of the regional meso-climatic influences on these settlements. Some historical information about each village is accompanied by a contemporary photographic record and site observations. These narratives aim to provide a broad-based understanding of diversity in the village typologies in the selected case studies. While ‘vernacular’ buildings are usually portrayed and perceived as fairly homogenous in the Iranian context, this chapter offers an alternative narrative based on emerging literature on Persian vernacular architecture described here to expand the general understanding of the heterogeneity of its architecture.