Polo & Naqsh-e Jahan: Redefining the Culture and Identity of Iranian- Islamic Architecture

Khosravi, Molood

doi:10.30475/isau.2020.147682.1086

Polo & Naqsh-e Jahan: Redefining the Culture and Identity of Iranian- Islamic Architecture

Document Type : Original Research Paper

Author

Molood Khosravi

PhD Candidate in Architecture, School of Architecture and Urbanism, International University of Imam Khomeini, Qazvin, Iran and Member of Faculty at Department of Art and Architecture, Payam Noor University, Tehran, Iran.

https://doi.org/10.30475/isau.2020.147682.1086

Abstract

Extended Abstract
Objective and Background: Naqsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan has always been recognized as a remarkable urban square of Iranian Islamic architecture in the Safavid era due to its unique buildings, proportions, and qualities that astonish the visitors. However, many believe that the dimensions and the proportions of this urban square are strongly influenced by the proportions of the polo field. Therefore, this article tries to comprehensively understand Naqsh-e Jahan Square as an architectural work and aims to scrutinize the goals and factors affecting its construction, users, and activities in space (content aspects) and its identifying elements in the Safavid era.
Methods: The present study uses a combination of research methods. In this research, both descriptive and analytical methods have been used. In this regard, the drawings and writings of Safavid and post-Safavid explorers (1907-1617) and the historical texts have been studied as the main sources of research. The main research components were identified regarding the qualitative nature of the research in analyzing th research problem and the use of interpretive-historical strategies. The research questions try to answer the following: How has the accurate knowledge of the hidden aspects of the polo gamee influenced the identifying factor of Naqgh-e Jahan Square in reviving its original values? And secondly, how have the field elements (water creek, the rows of trees, pavements, stone polo posts) organized the historical qualities and the original values of its urban space as a unique heritage?
Findings: According to the historical documents, “leveling Naqsh-e Jahan Square for using it as a polo field and horseback riding field” was the first step in constructing Naqsh-e Jahan Square. After its completion in 1602, a row of shading plane trees along a stream of running water were built that surrounded the square. The central area of the square was left bare, where various activities such as polo game, wooden javelin throw, athletics, military parades, celebrations and competitions, sales, peddling, and dozens of other activities took place. Twelve main entrances and several small entrances were built for these purposes. The porch of the Ali Qapu Palace overlooked the square, and from above, the Shah and the courtiers and foreign ambassadors could watch the polo plays and other popular games of the time. In the middle of Naqsh-e Jahan Square, the polo field was confined on the east and west by a row of trees adjacent to the water stream, and on the north and south by two stone pillars (the posts of polo field). The foreign explorers have described the field elements and expressed the prosperity and activities in the field, especially the polo game and the music plays in their narrations more or less.
Deep scrutiny in the historical travelogues and descriptions of Della Valle, Figueroa, Olearius, and Chardin between 1617 and 1664 indicates the glorious game of polo and the field were at the primes of their life during their first 60 years. Since none of them have described the polo play, it can be deduced that this game was quite frequent and that the public mastered the game and knew its rules. The game of polo in Shah Square was at the peak of its glory and prosperity up until the end of Shah Abbas’s reign, concurrent to the highest level of the cavalry power. After this period, until the conquest of Isfahan, polo was prioritized, and the military forces were strengthened, based on the interest of the successors. After the conquest of Isfahan in 1722, no explorer, including Morier, Flandin, Dieulafoy, Holltzer, and D’Allemagne, have mentioned the game of polo between 1809 and 1907, until Brugsch described the field as deserted and abandoned in 1886. D’Allemagne considers the demise of polo in 1887 when the game of polo was not practiced in Shah Square anymore. Finally, between the autumn of 1935 and the spring of 1937, Schmidt recorded the initial changes in the polo field (gardens and ponds) that led to the formation of its new identity.
Conclusion: The explorers’ descriptions of the square from the beginning of its construction to the beginning of the nineteenth century and the study of the square elements indicate the simultaneous design and implementation process in all the square elements, including the water creek, trees, pavements, polo posts. All these components can be regarded as the elements of a uniform architectural scenario. The implementation of the surrounding water streams and trees to organize the polo field created a barrier against dust by horse ridings and provided a pleasant environmental comfort (water streams and trees) and climatic comfort (natural airflow and shading) for the spectators. Also, the wide view of the surrounding stores and the allowed presence of people in the square, the stores and their roofs around the square, and the creation of multiple entrances and exits to control the movements show that the designers of Shah Square thought comprehensively about these elements and were completely aware of the activities, including polo plays. They have designed and built the square based on the frequent urban activities. This activity is an integral part of the polo field identity and performance. Therefore, the revival of the field’s original values requires the revival of polo with narrations and the music on a scale commensurate with its original design.

Keywords

Naqsh-e Jahan Square of Isfahshan

Polo

The Main Characteristic Inside the Naqsh-e Jahan Open Space Square

Identification of Iranian Culture and Architecture

Abouee, R. (1998). Considering the possibility of reviving Naghsh-e Jahan Square, according to present situation and historical past) and its Open Space Design, MA Theses in restoration and reviving the historical buildings and areas, Isfahan: Pardis Academy of Isfahan, Art University.

Ahmadi, Aliakbar. (2007). A Clear Past and a Dark Future, Tehran: Literary Text Research, No. 33.

Alexander, Ch. (2007). The Timeless Way of Building, Translated to Persian by Mehrdad Qayyoomi Bidhendi, Preface by Dr. Mehdi Hojat, Second Edition, Tehran: Shahid Beheshti Uni Press.

Azarnoush, Azartash. (1996). Chogan in Iranian Style Chogan Be Sabke Irani, Name - Ye Farhangestan, Quarterly, Vol. 2, No. 6.

Azarnoush, Azartash. (1996). History of Polo in Iran and the Arab territories, Tehran: Mahi Publication.

Behzadfar, M. (2007). The identity of the city, look at the identity of Tehran, Tehran, Nashre Shahr Publications.

Borna News, Isfahan, Available at: http:// www.borna. New/[last accessed 28 June 2020].

Brugsch, HK. (1995). Im lande der Sonne, Translated from German text to Persian by Majid Jalilvand, first edition, Tehran, Markaz.

Chardin, J. (1952). Voyages du chevalier Chardin en Perse, Translated by Hossein Arizi, Publication of Rahe Nejat.

Chardin, J. (1957). Voyages En Perse, Translated from French text to Persian by Aboutrab Nouri and Edited by Hamid Shirani, Second edition, Isfahan:Ta'eed Publications

Chardin, J. (1984). Voyages En Perse, Translated from French text to Persian by Aboutrab Nouri and Edited by Hamid Shirani, Isfahan: Sana'i Library andTa'eed Bookkeeping Publications.

Chardin, J. (2004). Voyages En Perse, Translated from French text to Persian by Hamid Shirani, first edition,Tehran: Niloofar Publication

Children's Book Council of Iran (1992). Encyclopedia for Young People, Vol. 12, Tehran: Nashr-e Farhangname PLC.

D'Allemagne, Henry-René “Henry of Germany” (1956). From Khorassan to the land of the Backhtiaris, Translated to Persian by Mr. Farahvashi, Tehran: Amirkabir Publications.

Della Valle, P. (1969). Cose e parole nei"Viaggi" di Pietro Della Valle, The Persian letters translated by Shoa'uddin Shafa, Tehran: Book Translation and Publishing company.

Della Valle, P. (2001). Cose e parole nei"Viaggi" di Pietro Della Valle, translated by Mahmoud Behforozi,1, first edition, Tehran: Ghatreh Publishing Company, Vol. 1.

Dieulafoy, J. (1982). La Perse, La Chalde e et la Susiane, Translated by Farahvashi, former Homayoun translator, second edition, Tehran, Khayyam.

Dieulafoy, J. (1999). La Perse, La Chalde e et la Susiane, Translated by Farahvashi, former Homayoun translator, first edition, Tehran, Ghesse Pardaz Publication.

Drouville, Gaspard (1969). Voyage En Perse, Fait En 1812 Et 1813, Translated to Persian by Javad Mohie, Second edition, Gutenberg Library Publication.

Ebrahimpour, MT. (1974). Chogan, Effort by IRI Polo Federation, Tehran: Melli Bank of Iran Printing House.

Falsafi, N. (1974). First Abbas King Biography 5^th Edition, Vol. 2, Tehran: Tehran University Publication.

Farahani, R. (2008). Isfahan`s Naghshe Jahan Square and its elements, Ketabe Mahe Honar Magazine, No. 131.

Flandin, E. (2014). The journey to Iran, an image of Ghajar Period in Iran, Translated to Persian by Abbas Agahi, first edition, Isfahan, Naghshe Mana Publication.

Foumani, Abdolfattah. (1937). History of Gilan, Rasht, Publications of the Yearbook and Compilations of Rasht`s, Shahpour State High School.

Gabriel, A. (2005). Marco Polo in Persien, translated to the Persian by Keikavoos Jahandari, first edition, Tehran, Endowment of, Dr. Mahmoud Afshar Yazdi`s publications.

Ghotbi, AA. (2008). The Concept of Identity and Today`s Iran Architecture, Ayeneh-ye Khiyal Monthly, No. 10, Tehran.

Holtzer, E. (1976). Persien vor 113 Jahren, Translated to Persian by Mohammad Asemi, Tehran: Anthropology Publication center.

Honarfar, L. (1965). A treasure of historical monuments of Isfahan, Isfahan.

Honarfar, L. (1971). Isfahan Naghsh-e Jahan Square, Art & people Journal, No. 105, pp. 2-28.

Jacobs, J. (1969). The Death and Life of Great American Cities, New York, Vintage Rapaport.

Kadoi, Y. (2016). The myth-making of the Masjid-I Jami of Isfahan: Arthur Upham Pope, architectural photographs, and the Persian Gothic thesis in the 1930s, pp. 80-111, The Historiography of Persian Architecture, edited by Mohammad Gharaipour, Routleadge publishing London.

Kaempfer, E. (1985). Am hofe des persischen grosskonigs (1684- 85) translated from German to the Persian by Keikavoos Jahandari, third edition, Tehran: Kharazmi Publishing Company.

Khosravi, M. (2006). The Museum of Horse in Iranian culture, Master`s Thesis of Architecture (Research and Design), Under Supervision of Hamid Nadimi, Tehran: Faculty of Architecture and Urban planning, Shahid Beheshti University.

Khosravi, M. (2015). Horse in Persian culture & architecture, International Conference on Architecture, Urbanism, Civil Engineering, Art, Environment; Future Horizons & Retrospect, Tehran, Institute of Art and Architecture (SID), CIVILICA code: ICAUCAE01_0727.

Mahmoodi Nejad, H., Pour Jaafar, MR., Bemanian, MR., Ansari, M., Taghvaei, A.(2009). Phenomenology of the urban environment: promoting urban spaces to urban places, Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, Vol. 10, No. 4, special issues 39

Mahmoudi, S., Babaki, M. (2012). Roots of the emergence and evolution of polo in Iran, Master Thesis in Sports Management, Under Supervision of Sayed Hamid SajjadI, Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch.

Manwaring, George. ‏The travelogue Known bySherley Brothers,translated by Aavans (Naser e-din Shah’s translator), publication of Bagher-ov brothers.

Mojtahedi, A. (2001). Naghshe-Jahan square and and its surrounding space in the Safavid era,Journal of Humanities University of Sistan and Balouchestan, Special issue of Geography and Social Sciences, pp. 243-266.

Monajem Yazdi, MJM. (1987). Abbasi History or Molla Jalal Magazine, Effort by Seifollah Vahidnia, First edition, Vahid Publication.

Morier James, J. (2007). A Journey through Persia, Armenia, and Asia Minor, to Constantinople, in the years 1808 and 1809, Translated to Persian by Abolghasem Sari, Vol. 1, Tehran, Toos Publications.

Morier, J. (1812). A Journey through Iran, Armenia and Asia Minor to Constantinople in the years 1808 and 1809T, Longman press, London.

Movie of “Polo game” in Naghshe Jahan Square`s Polo Field, 106 years ago, Available at: http:// www.aparat.com [last accessed 28 June 2020].

Naghizade, M. (2000). Identity Of “Iranian Architecture” and “Modernism”, Honar-Ha-Ye-ZIBA, No. 7, pp. 79-91.

Naghizade, M. (2002). Theory of Citizenship in Iranian Culture and Civilization, Tehran: Political & Economic Ettela’at , No. 183-184.

Naghizade, M. (2007). Perception of Beauty, Isfahan: Isfahan Municipality Cultural and Artistic Organization.

Nezam ol-Molk, H. (1985). The Siyar al Muluk or Siyasat-nama (Government or Rules for Kings, translated from the Persian by Hubert Darke, Tehran, Elmi Farhangi Publishing Co.

Olearius, A. (1984). Beschreibung der muscowitischen und persischen Reise, Translated from German text to Persian by Ahmad Behpour, first edition,Tehran, Ebtekar.

Rahmani Samani, R. (2009). Naghsh-e Jahan Square (Emam), Roshd Maagazin of Art Education Development, Quarterly, Vol. 7, No. 1.

Rezaee, A. (2012). Iran and Iranians in the works of James Morier, Theses of Master Degree in Iranian Studies, Under Supervision of Dr A. Hashemzadeh Mohammadiyeh, Yazd University, History Department of Humanities’ Faculty.

Riazi, MR., Hosseini, SA., Seirafi, H., Pourasadi, F., Mehdizade, F., Dehbashi, L. (2007). Illustrated dictionary of iranian sports, first edition, Tehran: Publication of the national Olympic committee of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Rostamzadeh, Y., Ranjazmay Azari, M., Naderi, SM., Yegane, M., Mahmoodi Nezhad, H. (2010). Methods of Evaluations of Citizens Behavioral Patterns In Urban Spaces using of Meta Analysis Method, Journal of Environmental Science and Technology ,Vol. 12, Issue 3, pp. 175-190.

Safarian, M. (2010). CHogan Weekly Magazin, No. 1.

Schmidt, Erich Friedrich. (1997). Flight over ancient cities of Iran, Tehran: Translated to Persian by Arman Shishegar, Tehran , Research Institute Of Cultural Heritage & Tourism’s Publication.

Selseleh, A., Selseleh, M. (2009). Impact of Islamic-Iranian Identical Factor on Beautification of City, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 47-58.

Shahabi Nejad, A. (2016). Urban Space Values of Naghsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan, Ph. D. thesis in Conservatio of historical fabrics, Under Supervision of, Reza Aboui & Mahmoud Ghale Noei, Isfahan University of Art, Department of Conservation

Shahabi Nejad, A., Aboui, R., Ghale Noei, M. (2016). Climatic comfort in naghshe jahan Square, Journal of Studies On Iranian Islamic City, Vol. 7, No. 25, pp. 5-16.

Shahabi Nejad, A., Aboui, R., Ghale Noei, M. (2017). The Naghsh-e Jahan Square Open Space, Values and Issues, the Scientific jurnal of Bagh-e Nazar, No. 44, Vol. 13, pp. 57-79.

Shahabi Nejad, A., Aboui, R., Ghale Noei, M., Emami, SM. (2014). Formation and Historical transformation of Naghsh Jahan in Isfahan, Journal of Knowledge of Restoration and Cultural Heritage, No. 3, second year.

Shahabi Nejad, A., Aboui, R., Ghale Noei, M., Frahang, M. (2015). Human scale in Naghshe-Jahan square, Scientific Journal of Maremat & memari-e Iran, quarterly, Vol. 1, No. 8, pp. 1-18.

Shahabi Nejad, A., Aminzadeh, B. (2012). The Landscape of Maydan-e Naghshe Jahan Main Entrance: Values and Issues, HONAR-HA-YE-ZIBA; Memari-Va-Shahrsazi, Jurnal of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, Vol. 17, 1 - Serial Number 1314042, pp. 27-38.

Unknown. (1971). (Alam Ara-ye Safavi) The Safavid's ornament of the world, Effort by Yad-olah Shokri, Tehran, Bonyade Farhange Iran

Unknown. (2007). L’ambassade de don Garcias de Silva Figueroa en Perse, Translated to Persian by Gholam Reza Sami'I, Tehran, Nashreno publication,First Edition.

Zabih, B. (1967). Chogan and Orb in Iran [Gooy va Chogan Dar Iran], Historical Studies Journal, Nos. 3-4, pp. 65-69.