Persian Architecture

Persian architecture has a very long and complex history, and is often regarded as
the field in which Persia made its greatest contribution to the world's culture.
Although Persian styles differ sharply from any other Islamic architecture, they
have strongly influenced buildings throughout much of the Islamic world, especially
in Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

The choice of subjects from nature, simplified into almost unrecognizable patterns,
may be called the formative principle of Persian art. Much of 4th-millennium Iranian
art is strongly influenced by that of Mesopotamia.

The "Animal style" which uses decorative animal motifs is very strong in the Persian
culture first appearing in pottery, reappearing much later in the Luristan bronzes
and again in Scythian art.

The history of to their constructions begins AT the beginning of century VII, at the
moment at which the Persian tribes happen of the nomadic state to the semi-
sedentary state. Ace they demonstrate the important vestiges to it of Masjidi
Solaiman, the leaned artificial terrace to the mountain that supported the fortified
dwelling of the prince, is one of the elements characteristic of the hearing
whereupon the constructors have looked for the Seth effect.

Of the early times of the empire no authentic remains exist, except those of the
tomb of its founder, Cyrus, at Murgab or Pasargadae (east of the head of the
Persian Gulf), and some of the walls, &c., of the ancient capital, Ecbatana, in North
Media. During the the medes & the achaemenians, fragmentary remains of Cyrus'
Palace at Pasargadae in Fars indicate that Cyrus favoured a monumental style of
building. He incorporated decoration based partly on Urartian, partly on the older
Assyrian and Babylonian art, as he wished his empire to seem to be the rightful heir
of Urartu, Assur, and Babylon.

The famous walls of Ecbatana, the ancient capital, are said to have been 75 feet
broad and 105 high, its stones 9 feet by 4 ft. 6 in., and its gateways 100 feet high
and 60 wide. The remains, however, show walls only 12 feet wide, stones only 2
feet by 1 ft. 2., and a gateway only 12 feet high and 10 feet wide. They deserve
particular mention on account of their being among the earliest examples of
constructive colouring on a grand scale.

However, of far greater artistic importance is the contribution of the Sassanids, who
ruled Iran from A.D. 226 to the middle of the 7th cent. Adapting and expanding
previous styles and techniques, they rebuilt the Parthian capital at Ctesiphon. There
a great palace with a huge barrel vault was constructed of rubble and brick.
Sassanid architecture is decorated with carved stone or stucco reliefs and makes
use of colorful stone mosaics.

Ancient Persia Arts and Architecture

This article describes various ancient Persian arts like architecture, sculptures etc.

Bounded by fierce mountains and deserts, the high plateau of Iran has seen the flow of many
migrations and the development of many cultures, all of which have added distinctive features to
the many styles of Persian art and architecture. The term "Persia" derives from a region of
southern Iran previously known as Persis, or Parsa, which itself was the name of an Indo-European
nomadic people who migrated into the region about 1000 BCE.

During the Achaemenids reign, luxurious works of decorative art were produced. The Achaemenids
evolved a monumental style in which relief sculpture is used as an adjunct to massive architectural
complexes. Remains of great palaces reveal plans that characteristically show great columned
audience halls. The style as a whole and the feeling for space and scale are distinctive.
Sassanian metalwork was highly developed, the most usual objects being shallow
silver cups and large bronze ewers, engraved and worked in repoussé. The
commonest themes were court scenes, hunters, animals, birds, and stylized plants.
The largest collection of these vessels is in the Hermitage Museum, Saint
Petersburg. 

The Safavid Dynasty (1499-1722) is of particular note because the reigns of Shah
Tahmasb and Shah Abbas created and funded weaving workshops featuring high-
quality artisans and materials. Artists would create the carpet designs, and the best
weavers in the empire wove the best designs. This constituted the Golden Age of
Persia. At that time, trade was established with Europe.

The conquest of Persia by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC brought about
a blending of Persian and Hellenistic styles, seen, for example, in the bronzes,
pottery, and jewellery of the Parthians. During the Mongol Timurid dynasty
(1369¬1506) Chinese influences were apparent in the development of one of
Persia's greatest artistic achievements, the miniature, which was used to illustrate
books of poetry, history, and romances.

Persian miniature art has developed its own distinctive features. Whether it's being
displayed in museums, casino hotels, or in private collections, Persian art has its own
distinct features. For instance, Iran's miniature artists are recognizable for their
emphasis on natural and realist motifs. Also worth noting is the Persian technique of
"layering" perspectives to create a sense of space. 
Ancient Persian architecture has a very long and complex history, and is often
regarded as the field in which Persia made its greatest contribution to the world's
culture. Although Persian styles differ sharply from any other Islamic architecture,
they have strongly influenced buildings throughout much of the Islamic world,
especially in Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Today, Iran remains a
country rich in traditions, with a culture which has had great influence on other
countries, both in Central Asia, and throughout the world.

The Jame Mosque in Isfahan, Iran

The Main Characteristics of Persian and Mughal Architecture

I have to point out that I will be referring the Islamic Persian architecture rather
than the Pre-Islamic one to compare with the Mughal architecture. There are a few
structural similarities between these styles –

The usage of Iwans – as I had noted before, Iwans are vaulted spaces, with the
space enclosed by three walls and an opening. These architectural feature is built to
resemble a gateway, and it is used extensively for both religious and secular
buildings throughout Islamic Persia as well as South Asia, and to a certain extend ,
the Arabian Peninsula and some North African Islamic empire, especially in the
modern times.

Extensive use of  arches – The two famous monuments, The Taj Mahal for the
Mughal architecture and the Great Mosque of Isfahan for the Persian architecture
displays the example of this fact. It is built for aesthetic reasons, as well as to place
Masyrabias windows and to lessen the extend of sunlight to pour into the building.

Gardens, fountains and pools –  Both architectural styles offers spacious gardens
or pools with fountains as features to the buildings. Taj Mahal have well tended
gardens in front of it as well as fountains and pools.

Domes – The domes for both of the architectural styles are quite similar in shape –
it sits on top of a cylindrical drum, before tapering to a point and decorated with a
finial. In Mughal architecture, sometimes multiple smaller domes decorate the
rooftops of the buildings.

Symmetry – Both styles exhibit impeccable attention to symmetry of the buildings

– it is not uncommon for a building to have same number of minarets and the same
number of arches and pillars to each side of the buildings. even the pools and
garden are often designed in a similar style, creating a mirror like effect.

Smaller details that are common to both of these styles are :

Usage of Muqarnas – The stalactite like decoration are commonly used under
arches, especially under the vaults of the Iwans.

Calligraphy – Both of the styles used calligraphy as decorative accents around the
gate of the Iwan, as well as under cornices and around the arches surrounding the
building.

Mashrabias – The pierced screens  used as windows are used all throughout the
buildings of both of the styles, however there is some notable differences of the
Mashrabias.

The figure above represents the common plan for both Islamic and Mughal
architecture, particularly for religious buildings. The colours correspond to different
features of the styles –

Light Green denotes the main dome (here shown with the cylindrical drum on the
bottom part, and a finial on top of the dome) as well as supplemental smaller domes
above the arcades.

The Sky Blue shows the main portal of the building, the Iwan.

The Dark Blue on top of the Iwan and in between the main domes are the minarets
– these are commonly placed flanking the top part of the Iwan of the building,
sometimes supplemented by a separate, taller minaret.
Most of the buildings have an arcaded corridor, sometimes the shapes (particularly
the size) is different. Usually , the bottom level, in dark purple, are larger, perhaps
to place extra doors beside the main one that is situated in the Iwan, while the top
or second level of the building, in lilac, features smaller arches, presumably to fit in
high windows or mashyrabias.

The grey strips are usually where Calligraphic, usually in cursive scripts, are put,
though not limited to the places specified.

The dark Green squares are usually where gardens are built, but sometimes, in its
place, is a large courtyard. This is particularly true for Mosques, as to accommodate
extra devotees, when the main prayer hall is full.

The dark Blue square in the middle denotes fountain and/or a pool. For mosques it is
usually the Ablution pool where devotees cleanse themselves before offering prayers
in the mosque.

Differences between the two styles

There are a few differences to these two styles, some are :

Materials used for building the structures – In South Asia, the preferrable
material used for the buildings, both for the religious or secular structures are stone,
mainly Redstone, or in some cases, marble. This is perhaps because of the material
are easily obtainable  in the region. For Persia and the surroundings, the buildings
are mostly consists of mud bricks, plastered and covered with decorated tiles. This is
also because of the question of availability – mud bricks are easily made, and
quarries of stone building materials are scarce, if not non-existent in that area. since
Persia is in the crossroads between China and the Middle East, the Persian took the
technologies of tile and pottery making from China and utilized it to decorate their
buildings, particularly for larger structures.

Decorations – Deriving from the facts about the materials used by the styles, and
so decorations are different. Since the Mughal empire have access to stone building
materials, the decorations are mostly carved – the Jaalis, Mashrabias of the South
Asia are carved stones, usually of marble, sometimes inlaid with semi-precious
stones. Arabesques or Geometrical designs are carved directly into the rock. Their
Persian counterpart relies on the usage of tiles and ceramics for decorating the
buildings. Designs are painted on each individual tiles and arranged and plastered on
the walls of the buildings. Sometimes, smaller tiles are used and arranged to make
certain designs for example Kufic calligraphy or certain geometric decoration.
Colours – Since the building materials are different, for sure the colours of the
buildings are different. In South Asia, the buildings tend to be warm coloured – reds,
oranges, browns and maroons are predominant, as well as white, since the building
materials consists of red stones and marble, among others. In Persia and its
surroundings feature azure, blue or turquoise coloured tiles – the cooler colours are
preferred because it is to contrast from the bright yellow sands and the strong
sunlight of the desert.

Influences – Persian architecture mostly derives its influences from Islamic

architecture, as well as the pre-Islamic cultures : Elamites, Achaemenids, Parthians,
Byzantine, Chinese and Sassanids all influenced the Post-Islamic Persian
architecture. While Mughal architecture is influenced by Persian, Islamic as well as
Hindu architecture. This influence can be seen by the carvings and decorations on
the structures – Minarets looks like stalks of flowers, as well as flower inspired inlaid
decorations, a motif commonly used in Hinduism. Arches in Persia curves without
any bumps or such, but in Mughal architecture features groves in the arches,
signifying influence directly taken from older structures in India.

Architecture of Mongolia

For most of Mongolia's early history, architecture was limited to domestic dwellings
(homes) and for most people this consisted of a round portable house called
a ger that catered to the nomadic lifestyle (note: this home is often translated into
English as a yurt, however that word should only be used to classify the nomadic
homes of the people of Central Asia as the two have significant differences in
structure and the word ger is a source of national pride in Mongolia). Gers still exist
today in Mongolia, although the people are definitely moving in the direction of more
permanent settlements.

The next significant architectural style that came into being was protective walls and
forts in the 500s-800s as the people began to war against each other. In the city of
Kara Balgasun there are remains of the walls of one of these ancient fortresses.

The Mongol Empire, under the leadership of Genghis Khan rose to power and fame
in the 1200s and soon had stationed their capital in the city of Karakorum, which
was later lost to time. It has since been uncovered and displays new architectural
features, most notably in the form of stationary palaces.

Your Guide to Mongolia:

● Mongolia Page
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   - Social Life
   - Architecture
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The next significant change came in the 1500s and 1600s when Buddhism made a
strong impact on the culture. At this time a number of monasteries were built; some
were built in the style of Tibet (in China), however a more local style was developed
from the formation of gers, which involved buildings forming a circle, with a single
building in the middle, generally in ger camps this was the chief and in monasteries
it was the most holy place of the monastery. The best examples of these
monasteries can be found in Hohhot, in addition to Khogno Tarni, Zaya-iin Khuree,
Baruun Khuree, and Zaya-iin Khiid.

Through the 1700s into the 1900s the style continued to be altered as more
stationary buildings were erected, again primarily monasteries, which attempted to
mix Chinese styles with images of Mongolian culture, most notably the ger. During
this time the Zuun Huree, Manjusri Hiid, and Amarbayasgalant Monastery were all
built.

In the 1900s Mongolia came under heavy Russian influence and this altered this

architecture as there were attempts to mix traditional Mongolian styles with Russian
constructions. It also introduced Soviet styled architecture after the Soviets took
over Russia in the early-1900s. Most of Ulaanbaatar's downtown, including most of
their governmental and civic buildings, are in the Soviet style. Most of the city's
housing is also in this style.

The Mongolian Yurt:

            The traditional Mongolian yurt is adapted to the nature, the environment,

the climate of the country and the nomadic living conditions. The main habitat of the
nomads was the yurt (ger in Mongolian), which easily mounts and dismantles
itself. The important characteristics of the Mongolian architecture are therefore the
simplicity of the assembly and disassembly, the adaptation and flexibility of each
piece, and of course the ease of transport.

           The essential elements of the yurt are walls and felt that can be quickly
assembled and disassembled, and transported over long distances by horses. The
walls are square and consist of several sections. It is possible to add a section if you
want to enlarge the size of the yurt.

         The roof is composed of many long poles. On one side, these are cut and on
the other, a string is hung. The cut ends of the poles are placed in the holes of the
Toono, circle (washer) which supports the center of the roof. The other end is firmly
knotted to the walls with the string. Thus, the pressure of the roof is equally
distributed over the entire perimeter of the walls. For more balance and solidity at
the Toono level, two or four support pillars are sometimes added to the middle of
the yurt. The Toono and the poles are then covered by the felt which is attached by
ropes.

              The entrance to the yurt once consisted of a felt curtain, whereas

nowadays we find wooden doors. The yurt has no window: the day light enters
through the opening of Toono (roof) or, in summer, through the front door, left
open.

         The interior of the yurt is very simple. Each piece of the yurt always occupies
the same place. In the middle, there was once the hearth which is now replaced by
a round stove whose hose goes out by the Toono.

           The northern part of the interior of the yurt is the most important. She best
reserved for the altar of the home and the most important guests sit down on this
side. The East side is reserved for household tasks and the west side is reserved for
the family. All these traditions are still respected today. The yurt is probably the best
solution to the problem of adapting the home to nomadic life. This is why the
Mongolian habitat has evolved little until today. 
Maikhan

The Mongolian tent: ‘Maikhan’

             In addition to the yurts, the Mongols often used tents, ‘Maikhan’ in
Mongolian, which were also very simple to assemble and disassemble. They used
these tents while they were traveling. They are composed of three poles. Two are
positioned vertically and one is placed horizontally between the other two. Then
these three poles are covered by a cloth in fabrics itself attached to the ground by
wooden stakes.

Maikhan Mongolian tents are decorated with beautiful traditional colorful patterns.

Buddhist monasteries

                  Because of the spread of Buddhism in the steppe, the nomads needed a

new type of construction. 
First of all, the artisan monks tried to make temples-yurts. But because of the
growing number of Buddhist believers and because the monks had to come together
quite often in these temples for ritual ceremonies, these yurts no longer offered
enough space. 
         The first experiments of enlargement of the yurt, made by Mongol craftsmen,
did not produce satisfactory results. To solve this problem, it was necessary to
change the method of mounting the yurt. The walls were reinforced but at the same
time retain its essential qualities.
From the 17th to the 19th century, temples-yurts became very large. As a result, the
carcass elements of the walls grew and evolved. 
            Columns must first be added to ensure the solidity of the buildings, for in
Mongolia, especially in spring, it is not uncommon for the wind to blow strongly. 
Little by little these large yurts took the form of a polygon. The assembly and
dismantling of the temples then became quite complicated because of the roof in the
form of a pyramid. It was therefore necessary to look for other simpler solutions.

       Also, the yurt temples then adopted the square shape which made assembly
easier. Despite the modifications, the same method of construction of the yurt
remained the same. The square temples were very comfortable, especially for the
ritual ceremonies of the Lamaists. In this
type of temple, it was possible to gather
between 800 and 1100 people.
           The solution concerning the
construction of the temples was embodied in
1654 by the construction of the temple
Tsogchin in the monastery of Ikh-Khuree in
Urga. The tradition of building this temple is
linked to the first religious leader of
Mongolia: Ondor-Gegeen. It was possible to gather 2,500 people in this
monastery. This temple first measured 42 x 42 m, then it was enlarged to 52 x 52 m
by adding wide galleries of 9 m. What is interesting is that we could enlarge this
temple by other galleries of the same type. The central part of the temple is covered
by a four-cornered roof with a dome in the middle. 
During the following centuries many temples were built on the model of Pokchin the
temple of Ikh-Khuree (former Urga).
Despite the expansion of Lamaism in the country, temples-yurts gradually
disappeared, leaving room for stone constructions inspired by traditional Chinese
and Tibetan architecture. The Mongols, however, continued to give the constructions
the form of a yurt. 
To make these buildings in stone or wood, the Mongols initially (XVI th XVIIth
century) appeals to foreign artisans. Later in the 18th century, the Mongols
assimilated the techniques of building stone and wood buildings.

Ottoman architecture
The grand tradition of Ottoman architecture, established in the 16th century, was
derived from two main sources. One was the rather complex development of new
architectural forms that occurred all over Anatolia, especially at Manisa, Iznik, Bursa,
and Selçuk in the 14th and early 15th
centuries. In addition to the usual mosques,
mausoleums, and madrasahs, a number of
buildings called tekke s were constructed to
house dervishes (members of mystical
fraternities) and other holy men who lived
communally. The tekke (or zeviye) was often
joined to a mosque or mausoleum. The entire
complex was then called a külliye. All these
buildings continued to develop the domed, central-plan structure, constructed by the
Seljuqs in Anatolia. The other source of Ottoman architecture is Christian art. The
Byzantine tradition, especially as embodied in Hagia Sophia, became a major source
of inspiration. Byzantine influence appears in such features as stone and brick used
together or in the use of pendentive dome construction. Also artistically influential
were the contacts that the early Ottomans had with Italy. Thus, in several mosques
at Bursa, Tur., there are stylistic parallels in the designs of the exterior facade and of
windows, gates, and roofs to features found in Italian architecture. A distinctive
feature of Ottoman architecture is that it drew from both Islamic and European
artistic traditions and was, therefore, a part of both.

The apogee of Ottoman architecture was achieved in the great series of külliyes and
mosques that still dominate the Istanbul skyline: the Fatih külliye (1463–70), the
Bayezid Mosque (after 1491), the Selim Mosque (1522), the Sehzade külliye (1548),
and the Süleyman külliye (after 1550). The Sehzade and Süleyman külliyes were
built by Sinan, the greatest Ottoman architect, whose masterpiece is the Selim
Mosque at Edirne, Tur. (1569–75). All of these buildings exhibit total clarity and logic
in both plan and elevation; every part has been considered in relation to the whole,
and each architectural element has acquired a hierarchic function in the total
composition. Whatever is unnecessary has been eliminated. This simplicity of design
in the late 15th and 16th centuries has often been attributed to the fact that Sinan
and many Ottoman architects were first trained as military engineers. Everything in
these buildings was subordinated to an imposing central dome. A sort of cascade of
descending half domes, vaults, and ascending buttresses leads the eye up and down
the building's exterior. Minarets, slender and numerous, frame the exterior
composition, while the open space of the surrounding courts prevents the building
from being swallowed by the surrounding city. These masterpieces of Ottoman
architecture seem to be the final perfection of two great traditions: a stylistic and
aesthetic tradition that had been indigenous to Istanbul since the construction of the
Byzantine church of Hagia Sophia in the 6th century and the other Islamic tradition
of domical construction dating to the 10th century.
While mosques and külliyes are the most characteristic monuments of Ottoman
architecture, important secular buildings were also built: baths, caravansaries, and
especially the huge palace complex of Topkapi Saray at Istanbul, in which 300 years
of royal architecture are preserved in its elaborate pavilions, halls, and fountains.

Indonesian Architecture

In classical architectures of Indonesia, it was actually booming before Buddhist and

Hindus kingdom era. However, some architecture work at that time had been
amazing and had a great quality in art. Here is the full description about the classical
architecture in Indonesia.

Characteristic

Characteristic of classical architecture of Indonesia can be seen from the building of

temple with the tower structure. Buddhist and Hindu temples are built of stone, built
on the ground with the characteristics of pyramids and decorated with reliefs.
Symbolically, the building was as a representation of the legendary Mount Meru,
which in Hindu-Buddhist mythology is identified as the abode of the gods.

The work of classical architecture

The famous Buddhist Temple of Borobudur from the 9th century and Prambanan
Temple for Hindus in Central Java is also filled with the idea of a macrocosm that is
represented by a mountain. In East Asia, although influenced by Indian culture, the
Indonesian architecture (archipelago) is more appealing to the elements of local
society, and more precisely to the peasant culture.

The booming time of classical architecture

Hindu culture of at least 10 centuries has influenced Indonesian culture before the
influence of Islam came. The legacy of classical architecture (Hindu-Buddhism) in
Indonesia is very limited to several dozens of temples except the island of Bali is still
a lot because of the religious factor of the local population.
TRADITIONAL ARCHITECTURE

Toraja House - Sulawesi

Indonesia has 33 provinces, Each of province has its own distinctive form and
identity of traditional vernacular architecture, known as Rumah Adat in Indonesian.
The concept of Rumah Adat are base on social relations, traditional laws, taboos,
myths and religion. The main focus of that house for family, theirs community and
some residents activities. Design of Rumah Adat didn't have an architect designer
but that build their own homes or community under direction of a master builder or
a carpenter. Also the amazing unique is every province has different ethnic and they
have different distinctive form as well.

Batak Karo - House

The characteristic Architecture of Indonesia such as timber construction, varied and

elaborate roof structures. Concept design overall; symmetric, nature contextual and
used nature materials. Some of design form come from domestic architecture
influence religion foreign such as; Java, Bali and others province common
Austronesian ancestry (originating in Taiwan, c. 6,000 years ago). The earliest
Austronesian structures were communal longhouses on stilts, with steep sloping
roofs and heavy gables, as seen in the Batak rumah adat and the Torajan
Tongkonan. Variations on the communal longhouse principle are found among the
Dayak people of Borneo, as well as the Mentawai people.  
This is my concern interest and I will talk for details Traditional Architecture of
Indonesia explain on my next blog. 

Mentawai House - Nias

This is my concern interest and I will talk for details Traditional Architecture of
Indonesia explain on my next blog.

HINDU ARCHITECTURE

Hinduism did not have a particular founder as in Christianity or Islam. It subsumed

every phenomenon in the vast territory of India, including even local faiths and tribal
gods, so they could even be contradictory to each other. According to Hindu theory,
even Buddhism and Jainism are nothing but sects of Hinduism.
In the field of architecture too, those of Buddhism and Jainism, which were brought
up in the same climate as that of Hinduism, have no great disparities from Hindu
architecture, making it possible to say that their structural systems and forms of
their components are completely the same.

However, if Hindu architecture is geographically positioned as Indian architecture, it

would mean that Hindu architecture could not exist outside India. In order to avoid
this inconvenience, I will not adopt a geographical definition but treat it on the basis
of religious and historical distinction from Buddhist, Jain, and Islamic architecture.
On this occasion, secular buildings, such as residences, palaces, forts and others,
must be excluded, that is, Hindu architecture in this article indicates only Hindu
temples. 
 THE ESSENCE of HINDU TEMPLES

 
Principal Plan and Cross Section of a Hindu Temple

(Malikarjuna Temple in Aihole, 8th century) 

（From "Encyclopaedia of Indian Temple Architecture" II-1, 1988 ）

The predecessor of Hinduism is called Brahmanism, in which only Brahmans

(priests), the highest class among four varnas into which people were divided by
birth in ancient India, could intermediate between gods and believers. It was
essentially a religion of rituals emphasizing sacrifices of animals to gods. 
On the other side, Buddhism and Jainism were atheistic religions established around
the 6th century B.C.E. in contradiction to the caste system and the sacrificial
practices of Brahmanism, so their temples were fundamentally places of pursuing
enlightenment for monks and expounding teachings to lay people. 
Hinduism, which was established around the beginning of the Common Era, was a
highly developed stage of Brahmanism in preparedness for theoretical dispute.
Absorbing folk faiths and local divinities in various regions, it was a thoroughgoing
pantheistic religion based on, above all, reverence for the gods that originated in the
Vedas. Every Hindu temple has one of those gods enshrined as the main deity, and
is as hospitable to it as if it were a living personality. The essential quality of the
Hindu temple is the ‘House of God’, though it differs from the metaphorical manner
in the Christian church, as a Hindu temple is considered as an actual place for a god
to dwell, eat, and sleep.
A diagram illustrating the principal features of Hindu temples. This example is the
Kandariya Mahadeo temple at Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, India, c. 1025 CE.

Architecture of Azerbaijan
 (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan memarlığı) refers to the architecture development
in Azerbaijan.

Architecture in Azerbaijan typically combines elements of East and West. Many

ancient architectural treasures such as the Maiden Tower and Palace of the
Shirvanshahs in the walled city of Baku survive in modern Azerbaijan. Among other
medieval architectural treasures reflecting the influence of several schools are the
Shirvan shahs' palace in Baku, the Palace of Shaki Khans in the town of Shaki in
north-central Azerbaijan, the Surakhany Temple on the Apsheron Peninsula, a
number of bridges spanning the Aras River, and several mausoleums. In the
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, little monumental architecture was
created, but distinctive residences were built in Baku and elsewhere. Among the
most recent architectural monuments, the Baku subways are noted for their lavish
decor. The urban planning and architectural activities are regulated by the State
Committee for City Building and Architecture of Azerbaijan Republic.

BIBIHEYBAT  MOSQUE (1281-1282)

Bibiheybat Mosque religious-architectural monument was built in the XIII century by
Shirvan II  Farrukhzad ibn Akhsitan. The epitaph is written on the wall of the
mosque with historical facts. The inside of magnificent sanctuary of Bibiheybat was
built in classic eastern style, entirely of white marble. Sacred verses are engraved on
the marble wall with beautiful examples of calligraphy.