Journal of Researches in Islamic Architecture

The Pahlavi era in Iran coincided with the emergence of various movements that influenced different aspects of public life and shaped architectural development. During this period, the physical structures of cities underwent profound transformations. Shifting functions of urban passages further drove a transition in architectural character from introversion to extroversion. Consequently, openings and windows emerged as pivotal elements in shaping urban façades and cityscapes. Today, rapid demolition and renovation, often executed without sufficient consideration for existing historical structures, increasingly threaten this valuable heritage in contemporary Iranian architecture.

This article analyzes the typology of window forms and identifies the archetypal patterns underlying their formation. Employing a qualitative, descriptive-analytical approach, the research addresses two primary questions: (1) What dominant formal patterns of openings characterize Tehran’s Pahlavi-period architecture, and how should one categorize them? (2) What are the origins of these dominant formal patterns?

The research analyzed approximately 1,000 houses to answer these questions. It identified and classified patterns sharing formal characteristics into distinct groups: pure patterns, shape patterns, free spirals, ram’s horn spirals, single spirals, regular spirals, composite spiral patterns, composite patterns, floral and vegetal motifs, and forty-piece compositions (chehel-tikeh). Finally, the study extracted a fundamental archetypal pattern for each category.