عنوان

Safavid palaces at Isfahan:

TLpq304144338

انگلیسی

Safavid palaces at Isfahan:

[Thesis]

S. Babaie

Continuity and change (1590-1666)

P. P. Soucek

New York University

1994

573-573 p.

Ph.D.

New York University

1994

The importance of the Safavid palaces of 'Ali Qapu and Chihil Sutun in the history of Persian architecture is manifest in the unceasing interest the palaces have solicited from European travelers since their construction in the seventeenth century and the multitude of generalized art historical sketches by modern scholars. Nevertheless, the uncritical overexposure of the 'Ali Qapu and Chihil Sutun has, in effect, obscured the outlines of a crucial palatine tradition in the history of Islamic Iran, and has trivialized the ingenuity of the architects and patrons of these famous palaces at Isfahan. This dissertation reconstructs the building history of the 'Ali Qapu and Chihil Sutun through a systematic comparison of the archaeological evidence with contemporary Persian and European histories and chronicles, and considers the textual and visual evidence for the palace precinct and for other palaces that have not survived. The results highlight a turning point in Safavid palatine tradition. New palaces at Isfahan, of which the Chihil Sutun is the sole survivor, are distinguished from their predecessors by virtue of their definite functionality, their precise ceremonial location and orientation in relation to their physical surroundings, and their programmatic wall decorations. The stimulus for change in the appearance of the seventeenth-century palaces emerges in light of an historical evolution in Safavid polity and the organization of the court. Accordingly, the 'Ali Qapu and Chihil Sutun stand as the architectural testimonial to a change in court practices and ceremonial precepts.

Art History

Communication and the arts

Iran

Middle Eastern history

Social sciences

P. P. Soucek

S. Babaie

p

[Thesis]

276903

a

Y