A Historical Review of House Entrances in Sabzevar from Safavid Era to Pahlavi Era

Abstract

A house entrance does not just serve as a communication space; rather, it also has social and cultural functions. A house entrance is not only a doorway to the building but also a passage that helps to recognize the position of the house and to indicate the stature and character of the house members. A house entrance is a gate to enter the building, establish communications with the house members, and engage with their culture. A house entrance is the first point of contact between the outside and the inside of the house, representing the cultural, social, and economic position of the house members. House entrances are influenced by the situation prevailing in society and transforming social, economic, and cultural factors. Thus, they have a special role and position. The main research questions are: What were the characteristics of the entrances in the past architecture? How did entrances maintain a special position in the spatial organization of house architecture? Furthermore, were entrances influenced by various factors in a historical context? Hence, we seek to respond to these questions by focusing on entrances to Sabzevar’s houses. In this connection, we aim to investigate the role and position of the entrances in the traditional architecture using case studies and fields surveys in Sabzevar and address the historical development of entrances from the Safavid era to the Pahlavi era. The features of the entrances in these areas are described, and their key and identity-making architectural elements are discussed. This will help us better understand traditional Iranian architecture.