THE MONUMENTAL IWAN: A SYMBOLIC SPACE OR A FUNCTIONAL DEVICE ?

摘要

The architectural unit iwan consists of an empty vaulted space enclosed on threesides and open to a courtyard or central space on the fourth (Figure 1). Eventhough the history of its application on a monumental scale is characterized bymodifications that appear subtle and mainly related to periodic changes in taste,the iwan was subject to continuous variation and interpretation in innumerablesmall-scaled buildings. This article concerns the monumental iwan, whose persistentapplication seems to have been governed by a definite cosmoiogicai scheme thatdictated its orientation and function in the composition of an edifice (1).