1.

Pick three structures in Isfahan from different time periods and describe them in a complete
paragraph. In addition to general details, be sure in this paragraph to explain their architectural and
societal functions (what purpose did they serve), how they fit into their historical period, and what
drew you to these particular buildings.
The Tomb of Imamzadeh Ahmad is a structure that has two shrines within it. One of Imamzadeh Ahmad
and the other of Sjeikh Muammad Taghi. There are two tall towers on the building that I believe to
represent the two shrines within. In the courtyard there are lions that are believed to have marked the
graves of great men. Inside the building it is described as beautiful ceilings with decorative rococo
above the tombs.
The Tomb of Jafar also known as The Shrine of Jafar is hexagon shaped building that was once a single
standing building, but over years other structures have been built around it. The building is not
described as lavishly decorated as some of the other shrines but sparsely decorated with tiles. This is
the tomb of Jafar-Bin-Abi Talib. From my research he had a large and empathetic love for the poor and
interacted with them frequently.
The Royale Mosque or also known as Masjed-e-Shah was built by Shah Abbas I to complete the central
square of Isfahan. There is an estimate of 18 billion bricks in the building, but the date of completion is
unknown. The calligrapher of the building dated it 1616, but others disagree that it was completed on
this date. Shah Abbas wanted to move the capital of the Persian Empire and relocate the ancient city to
Isfahan and this building represented the completion of the making.
2. Again in a complete paragraph write about how the architecture of Salt Lake City compares to
Isfahan. Include what is similar and what is different about the buildings of the two cities. Are there
structures in Salt Lake City that would provide insight into American culture and tradition (not just
Utah culture)? {that is: what would a foreigner looking at our buildings on a website be able to
understand about Americans from their buildings. Think a bit more than usual about these questions.
I want you to act like archaeologists or anthropologists and try to think about what our buildings tell
about ourselves}[If you are outside of Utah, you may use another large U.S. city near your location].
I believe that the buildings discussed above were built with a reason and purpose where buildings here
in Salt Lake City are not. Yes, there are historic buildings however they are almost all related to the LDS
religion where there is a more diverse relation to the buildings of Isfahan. The similarities that I see are
the historic buildings that Salt Lake City does have are not extremely lavishly decorated. They were built
with readily available materials. I believe that a foreigner would look at the building we have in the
United States and they would think that they all look the same- tall, square skyscrapers, made of metal
and glass. Yes there are many historic buildings on the east coast just based on age, however the
majority of buildings that we see now are commercial offices. American culture does not preserve
historic sites like other countries do. We have a mentality of knocking down a building and building a
new one. On the other hand I dont think they would be surprised by this since Americans are known
for capitalism, working hard, and starting large companies. Americans are known for living to work
where Europeans are known for Working to live.

Citations:
http://www.isfahan.org.uk/ahmad/ahmad.html
http://www.isfahan.org.uk/jafar/jafar.html

http://www.isfahan.org.uk/masimam/masimam.html