Tracing the Evolution of Entrance Façade Designs in Iṣfahān’s Monuments from the Șafavīd Era Through the Pahlavī Era

The designs featured on the entrance façades of historical monuments in Iṣfahān convey a meaning beyond external beauty. They are allegorical of a heavenly atmosphere in the building’s entrance, incorporating the myths, symbols, beliefs, and ideologies of their contemporary people, and are inseparable components of architectural ornamentation.  The present study aims at tracing the evolution of these designs using library research and the descriptive-analytical method. With this aim in mind, the paper presents how centuries of encounter between Șafavīd tradition and Pahlavī modernity has concordantly expanded and enriched the designs and their motifs. The study tries to investigate the designs featured on the entrance façades of religious and non-religious buildings in Iṣfahān in an attempt to answer these key questions: Which motifs are most frequently used on the entrances? How have the motifs transformed from the Șafavīd era into the Pahlavī era? And what concepts do these motifs incorporate?Results demonstrate that floral and geometric patterns most frequently feature on the entrances of Iṣfahān’s monuments (among 200 case studies). Human and animal figures have also increasingly featured on the entrances since late Qājār and Pahlavī periods.The entrances of Iṣfahān’s monuments, originating from the Iṣfahān School, create an earthly image of the world of the Forms in balance with the terrestrial world and reach unity of expression as an entry into the lost paradise following the dominant worldview.