The influence of European architecture on the historical buildings of Rasht

Political and economic relations, and consequently social interactions between tribes in neighboring lands, inevitably lead to the transfer of cultures and lead to entanglement and imitation. Iran, as the border between east and west of the world, with the arrival of the first tourists in the Safavid era to this land and the expansion of these two-way communication, which increased in the Qajar era and has continued over the past centuries, has always been considered. Iran’s position is significant because it was connected to Tsarist Russia from the north and to Europe through the Ottoman Empire to the west, and its proximity to the three regions of Asia, Europe, and Eurasia has led to similarities in various areas.

In the meantime, “architecture” due to its physical nature has the ability to highlight structural similarities, climatic and geographical similarities, methods of implementation and cultural issues in the buildings of adjacent areas.

Gilan’s proximity to the Caucasus was a gateway to Russia and Western civilization. As it is mentioned in the sources, since the 18th century, due to the arrival of Gilani merchants and traders to Russia, it has been inspired by Russian architecture, especially the architecture of Badkoubeh houses, so that the nobles of Rasht have modeled their houses. And built the architectural style of these cities.

Increased relations with Europe, which took place due to the ambassadors’ contacts, sending students, diplomatic and business trips, affected the cultural behavior of the people and also appeared in the field of architecture and urban planning in Iran, so that Western symbols first appeared in buildings and urban bodies And later influenced construction techniques.

With the arrival of the Pahlavi era, new architecture emerged that represented the developments of that period and the background of the Qajar era. The current of modernity and westernization led to the birth of a special architecture in the nature of new functions that were included in the country’s management system. These developments were sometimes taken from ancient or Islamic architecture and sometimes to Western architecture and sometimes a mixture of these.

At this time, the physical structure and extent of the city of Rasht remained at the level of the Qajar period, with the difference that the construction of several buildings in the city center and street-inspired operations inspired by the streets of the Renaissance, especially the street in St. Petersburg, Russia, were among the changes in The urban arena of this city was implemented. The application of architectural and urban planning rules in the Renaissance style, the construction of streets and squares of new construction through the observance of symmetry and balanced composition in the facades of new buildings and the sides of the streets were among the principles in the implementation of these measures. The municipal building is built in the style of Russian buildings, and is a clear example of the classical European architectural style, which was undoubtedly designed and executed by Russian engineers and architects and Artem Sardaraf himself. “Urban neoclassical buildings are generally the spatial crystallization of Renaissance culture and the era of military rule and militarism around the world,” says Robert Vahanian of the architecture of the Town Hall complex.

Russian architecture in major cities such as Kyiv, Moscow, and St. Petersburg was inspired by Greek, Byzantine, Anatolian, Classical and Italian Renaissance, French Baroque, and, of course, complete fidelity to Russian architectural traditions. In 1475, Ivan III invited Italian architects to carry out construction projects, and the most prominent Italian architect to go to Russia was Aristotle Fioravanti. Another architect who worked in Russia during the Third Ivan’s era was Alvits Novi. In the early 18th century, European architects participated in the design of St. Petersburg, including the Italian architect Dominico Terzini. Bartholomew Rastrelli also built amazing palaces for Catherine II.

Major changes in Russian architecture began in the 17th century. The first change was in the appearance and layout of the buildings and their horizontal alignment. Most buildings are stretched horizontally. The rows of windows in the building facade do not merely indicate the number of floors, and a floor may have two rows of windows. Another important feature is the canopy of buildings.

In the mid-nineteenth century, the plan played an important role in architecture due to the importance of functional spaces. The Italian architect Palladio enhanced the spatial hierarchy based on performance and through visual tools of symmetry. The inspiration of Russian architecture from Byzantine models, derived from European designs, often formed the basis of a circular or axial design with a symmetrical view. Among the buildings of the first Pahlavi period, several buildings were built in a symmetrical pattern. The symmetrical government buildings were inspired by the expressionist European style of architecture and in an idealistic way. In this case, the principle of similarity, repetition and rhythm in the wall created a magnificent, powerful and balanced appearance.

This principle can be seen in the heavy and bulky buildings in the horizontal axis of the palaces of St. Petersburg and Moscow, as well as in the municipal building and the governorate building of Rasht. Undoubtedly, the use of horizontal lines in the facade of this building is also inspired by Renaissance buildings, which emphasize horizontal lines in their facades. The building has also made the most of vertical linear signs and elements. Columns and windows have played the most important role in this application so that they can add to the sense of grandeur and glory of the building in the viewer. In addition to the details of form and volume, executive details can be seen on the façade of the building, which represent the designs of ancient Greek and Roman temples.

Finally, as a summary, the historical and cultural assets of the lands are inspired by the lands adjacent to them, which have influenced each other throughout history, and as social interactions, political and economic relations, commonalities become more prominent and extensive. As the historical and social events of Iran “especially the land of Gilan due to its proximity” to Russia, as well as Russia’s influence in Europe during the wars and historical events between Europe and the Eurasian region, caused a chain of links, which manifested in the field of architecture briefly شد.