Pathology of the Iranian Architectural Works from the Advent of Islam up to the Seventh/Thirteenth Century

The factors that have been influential in the damaging and destroying the Iranian historical monuments can be divided into two categories: first, the natural phenomena such as floods, earthquakes, famines, and droughts; and second, human behavior that on some occasions had intentionally or unintentionally caused some damages to the historical monuments. The flawed policies of the rulers that have usually resulted in wars and conflicts, the struggles and disputes among the various sects and schools of thought, the adverse economical situations of the society, and the loss of functionality of the monumental buildings are among the human factors that have been strongly effective in damaging the historical monuments.The present article addresses the destructive factors of the Iranian architectural works in the Islamic era until the rise of the Mongols (7th/13th century).This research has been carried out by searching into the historical, geographical, and literary sources and relying on the reports available on these works.