Architecture
The physical anchors of human history. This gallery documents ancient monuments, sacred spaces, and traditional structures that have stood the test of time. We explore the design, craftsmanship, and historic environments that reflect the identity of civilizations across the globe.
Takhte Jamshid-Tehran, Iran
Photographer- Ali Azadeh
Beyond its historical weight, Takhte Jamshid represents the supreme pinnacle of ancient Achaemenid engineering and design precision. This perspective emphasizes the raw architectural mastery of the site, highlighting the monumental scale of its fluted columns, grand symmetrical staircases, and complex stone masonry that laid the structural foundations for classical Persian architecture.
Milad Tower (Borje Milad)Tehran, Iran
Photographer- Ali Azadeh
Rising 435 meters into the capital’s skyline, Milad Tower (Borje Milad) stands as the defining monument of modern Iranian engineering and the sixth-tallest telecommunications tower in the world.
Jameh Masque
The twin minarets of the Jameh Mosque of Yazd are the tallest in Iran, soaring an incredible 52 meters (170 feet) to serve as a historic 14th-century beacon for caravans navigating the desert. Beyond their striking silhouette, they represent a masterpiece of Persian engineering; one minaret features a rare double-helix internal staircase where two independent spiral paths twist upward without ever intersecting. As they rise, their iconic turquoise and blue mosaic tilework shifts seamlessly into intricate geometric calligraphy, spelling out sacred names against the desert sky.
Photographer - Ali Azadeh
Summer 2025
Uramanat (Hawraman): Human Resilience in Stone
PHOTOGRAPHER: ALI AZADEH
Tucked deep within the rugged central-western folds of the Zagros (spanning Kurdistan and Kermanshah provinces), Uramanat (Kurdish: Hewraman) is a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape defined by its harmonious adaptation to unforgiving vertical topography.
Stepped Vernacular Architecture: Built directly into the steep cliffs of the Sirwan River valley, Hawramani villages follow a classic dry-stone, stepped terrace design: "the roof of one house serves as the yard of the house above." Structures are constructed without mortar, using local slate and timber to withstand seismic activity.
Terraced Agro-Pastoralism: Because flat land is nearly nonexistent, villagers carved narrow, stone-walled terraces (hesar) into sheer mountain faces to cultivate pomegranates, walnuts, figs, and grapes, irrigated by intricate gravity-fed spring networks.
Cultural Continuity & Living Heritage: Isolated by high passes for centuries, the Hawrami people have preserved an ancient branch of the Northwestern Iranian languages, distinct textiles (such as felt klash footwear and traditional woolen attire), and ancient spiritual gatherings like the Pir Shalyar festival held mid-winter in Uraman Takht.
Bella Roswald
VIDEOGRAPHER
John Smith is a passionate videographer with a keen eye for capturing captivating moments. With over five years of experience in the industry, John has developed a unique storytelling style that beautifully combines creativity and technical expertise.
John Smith
VIDEOGRAPHER
John Smith is a passionate videographer with a keen eye for capturing captivating moments. With over five years of experience in the industry, John has developed a unique storytelling style that beautifully combines creativity and technical expertise.
Kakh-e Khorshid: The Sun Palace of Kalat-e Naderi — Khorasan, Iran
Commissioned in 1738 by Nader Shah Afshar following his Indian campaign, Kakh-e Khorshid (کاخ خورشید) is a rare architectural hybrid of Persian geometry and Mughal stonecraft, set inside the mountain citadel of Kalat-e Naderi in Razavi Khorasan.
Architectural Highlights
Fluted Cylindrical Drum: Encircling the central rotunda are 66 semi-cylindrical ribbed stone columns. The structure was designed as Nader Shah’s mausoleum but remained unfinished at his assassination in 1747, leaving the tower flat-topped.
Octagonal Podium: The building rests on an eight-sided plinth flanked by deep arched portals (iwans) on every face, providing balanced symmetry and natural ventilation across the estate.
Chahar Bagh Setting: The palace anchors an axial Persian fourfold garden, flanked by reflecting water rills and mature trees that buffer the pavilion from the adjacent town.
Mughal Relief Carvings: Crafted by artisans brought from Delhi, the exterior limestone panels feature tropical motifs rare in Iranian architecture—including pineapples, banana leaves, flowering vines, and exotic birds.
Subterranean Crypt & Treasury: Beneath the main hall lies a vaulted stone cellar engineered to secure royal treasures and serve as an imperial crypt.
Gallery Excerpt:
Anchored within the fortified basin of Kalat-e Naderi, Kakh-e Khorshid blends Persian geometric symmetry with ornate Mughal stonecraft. Its iconic 66-fluted column tower stands as an unfinished 18th-century imperial masterpiece.
The Earthen Citadel of Kharanaq — Yazd, Iran
located approximately 80 kilometers northeast of the city of Yazd on the edge of the Dasht-e Kavir, is an extraordinary mudbrick oasis settlement whose documented roots reach back over a millennium. This multi-tiered desert settlement stands as an enduring monument to passive thermal design and Persian earthen engineering
Architectural Highlights
Vertical Citadel Density: Rather than sprawling flat across the valley, the village climbs a rocky slope in two- to three-story earthen volumes. Thick load-bearing walls form the ground levels, while upper floors utilize lighter straw-clay mixes to reduce structural stress.
The Shaking Minaret (Menar Jonban): Anchoring the skyline above the old Jameh Mosque, the slender unreinforced brick minaret is engineered with structural elasticity, traditionally built to vibrate without fracturing.
Vaulted Passageways (Sabats): The dense network of barrel-vaulted, covered corridors (sabats) woven through the ruins served a double architectural purpose—acting as structural buttresses between opposing walls while shielding interior lanes from direct desert solar radiation.
Integrated Defensive Enclosure: The outermost row of houses forms a continuous, windowless curtain wall along the rim of the dry riverbed, turning domestic vernacular structures into a unified protective citadel.
Photographer - Ali Azadeh
