Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Art University of Tehran
2 Associate Professor, University of Art, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
The Iranian nation has experienced a variety of changes in socio- economic-cultural aspects of his life during the reign of Reza-Khan (1925–1941). In this period, a system of government was established that attempted to gather the modernization of the country with the desire to return to the glory of ancient Iran. The appearance of the nationalistic-modernist attitude is manifested in the architecture of the governmental buildings of that time. During this period, because of the relatively slow economy and the necessities of post-war reconstruction in Iran, only token architectural and city planning gestures could be afforded. The results of this were a great collection of buildings and edifices in Tehran and other cities that indicated the government’s attention to useful exploitation of them. Nationalism and modernism bound the past to future. Some designers created works that were reminiscent of Iran''s historical architectural heritage. Among these buildings, the Iran Bastan Museum is a notorious outstanding one.
In 1935, the French archaeologist and architect Andre Godard (1881-1965), designed the Iran Bastan Museum in Tehran. He carved out a grand parabolic entrance gateway reminiscent of the historic Sassanian Ctesiphon Vault, with brick detailing of robust elegance. The museum has two floors as showrooms contain artifacts from the lower, middle, and upper Paleolithic, as well as the Neolithic, Chalcolithic, early and late Bronze Age, and Iron Ages I-III, through the Median, Achaemenid, Seleucid, Parthian, and Sassanid periods. Moreover, the museum has a basement for storing and preserving archeological objects. This museum also has a lecture room, auditorium, and library. The museum building designed by Godard began in 1935 and completed within two years by Haj Abbas Me’mar and Ostad Morad Tabrizi, officially it was inaugurated in 1937. Being a masterwork of the architectural art the building is distinguished through following characteristics:
First as the first museum built in Iran, Iran Bastan museum manifests the governmental inclination to gather the modernistic attitude with the nationalistic nostalgia like a symbol of growing national identity. Second because of the pattern of the building, that is inspired from the original Iranian architecture e.g. the main entrance of the building is built in the style of Sassanid vault, particularly the Iwan of Ctesiphon. Moreover, the last is because of the importance of the building consists in the collected archeological relics and include some rare medieval textiles and rug pieces.
Today this genuine historical building demands preservation. Iran Bastan Museum stands as one of the most original contemporary interpretations of the architectural heritage of Iran. In addition, it could be said that the architectural design approach and buildings of Andre Godard, had a pivotal impact on Iranian architectural thinking.