This article examines the discursive genealogy of meʿmāri-ye sonnati (traditional architecture), arguing that the term is not a neutral descriptive category but a modern historiographical construct. It traces the concept from nineteenth-century Orientalist surveys, which relied on stylistic classifications rather than notions of tradition, to early twentieth-century narratives of continuity advanced by scholars such as Arthur Upham Pope and André Godard. The study shows how “tradition” was later translated into sonnat in midcentury nationalist debates and consolidated as meʿmāri-ye sonnati in the 1970s. This process flattened diverse architectural histories into a single category that served traditionalist and postrevolutionary ideological agendas. By reconstructing this genealogy, the article challenges retrospective essentialism and restores the historical plurality of Iran’s architectural past.

The architectural history of Iran began in the early 1900s with the orientalist approaches prevalent at that time and continued for a long time, with minor changes, under the influence of these approaches. From the mid-1990s, the situation changed slowly, and between 1995 and 2005, also known as the “reform era,” a profound transformation took place in this field. The holding of the first Congress on the History of Architecture and Urban Planning of Iran (1995) was the starting point of this transformation. Then, a series of events, including changes in existing institutions, the establishment of new institutions, the establishment of specialized journals, the holding of related conferences and scientific events, and finally the establishment of the field of Iranian architectural studies, were the milestones that led to the transformation of this field. The article examines the general aspects of this development.

This article examines the influential yet contested legacy of Mohammad-Karim Pirnia (1920–97), arguably the most influential figure in the historiography of Iranian architecture over the past six decades. At a time when Western scholarship dominated the field, Pirnia proposed a novel stylistic framework as an alternative to dynastic periodization, identifying six culturally grounded architectural styles, including the Pārti and Esfahāni. He also formulated five principles, such as mardomvāri (human orientation) and darungarāi (inwardness), as the shared spirit of Iranian architecture throughout history. Rather than repeating familiar critiques of Pirnia’s nationalist and regionally selective narrative, this article examines his methodology, arguing that his principles often functioned as normative ideals shaped by modernist concerns rather than empirical historical analysis. Nonetheless, it acknowledges Pirnia’s contribution to the introduction of indigenous terminology and greater attention to craft and construction techniques in architectural historiography.

This article examines the construction of a continuous history of Iranian art and architecture in André Godard’s L’Art de l’Iran (The Art of Iran). Relying on the strategic use of periodization, Godard stages continuity as a narrative achievement, anchoring it in geography, displacing it during moments of foreign rule, concealing it beneath surface forms, and reactivating it under favorable conditions. Rather than treating historical periods as neutral divisions, this article shows how periodization operates as a historiographic strategy that stabilizes continuity by managing disruption, marginalizing rupture, and selectively rendering certain forms, regions, and temporalities visible while excluding others.

Over the past two decades, architectural historiography in Iran has undergone a significant disciplinary transformation. This article examines the effect of the Iranian architectural studies (IAS) MA program establishment at Shahid Beheshti University (est. 2005) in this process. It reconstructs the historical context of architectural education in Iran since the mid-twentieth century, when architectural history occupied a marginal position, and then examines the establishment of the IAS program as a turning point in this trajectory through an analysis of its curriculum, pedagogical strategies, and scholarly output. The article argues that the program has institutionalized architectural historiography, cultivated new generations of scholars and educators, and encouraged greater attention within Iranian schools of architecture to the social, cultural, and contextual dimensions of architecture, bringing them closer to comprehensive schools of the built environment.

The Young Avestan text Wīdēwdād 8.81–96 deals with the contamination of fire as a result of its use in daily activities, arguing that the pristine purity of this sacred element be restored by bringing each of the polluted fires to an appropriate place. While listing non-ritual uses of fire, this text also gives precious details about the material culture of the speakers of Young Avestan in southern Central Asia during the first millennium BCE. This information is relevant for not only better understanding the history of the region in that period but also tracing the composition of these passages back to the Achaemenid period.

This article examines the Iranian mosque in Mumbai, known as Mughal Masjid, built in the 1860s by a Shirazi master mason for the Shirazi diaspora community, as a lens through which to reconsider the stereotype of the Iranian mosque. Conceived as a garden mosque, it combines the architectural traditions of mosques in the southern Zagros region with the spatial ambience of a Shirazi garden. With a survey of mosques across the southern Zagros, the article shows that historical mosques in this region are typically domeless, hypostyle structures, challenging the stereotype of the Iranian mosque defined by domes and monumental minarets. The article also critiques the stylistics of Mohammad-Karim Pirnia, arguing that nationalist historiography and colonial scholarship advance different narratives yet share a meta-narrative and epistemology that obscure regional diversity and marginalize Qajar architectural significance.

This article examines the surge of Iranian migration to Japan in the early 1990s. After Iran and Japan established a mutual visa waiver agreement in 1974, many overstayed, with migration increased notably from 1989. However, stricter rules and the suspension of visa exemptions in 1992 sharply reduced the number of Iranians in Japan by the mid-1990s. The influx represented a unique chapter in the history of the Iranian diaspora—rapid migration, informal social networks, and public gatherings characterized this period. While Japan’s strict immigration policies quickly ended the “coming-to-Japan” boom, Iranian migrants developed a sense of equality and mutual support during their time in Japan.

Relying on in-depth and semistructured interviews in Spanish and Farsi, this paper delves into (post)migration processes and social and cultural relations of thirty-nine first-generation and second-generation Iranians in Spain. The article initially focuses on the formation of the Iranian diaspora in Spain, and subsequently centers on social and cultural connections of hospitality and public social interactions, language and expressive culture, and gastronomy. The article shows that despite the short history of Spain as a democracy in Europe and perception of it as a transit country, it has eventually become a new home for many Iranians.

This article examines social representations and hierarchies among Iranian migrants in Dubai through an analysis of the diversity of the Iranian diaspora and the ways in which different segments of this diaspora engage with the policies and politics of belonging in the national contexts of both Iran and the United Arab Emirates. I focus on the legacy of stereotypical representations inherited from processes of nation-building, and on how individuals navigate, negotiate, and at times challenge these representations through everyday interactions and relations of alterity. Dubai constitutes a particularly revealing case in this respect, because the Iranian presence there has been shaped simultaneously by regional mobilities rooted in the history of the Persian Gulf and by broader transnational movements, while also reflecting the effects of globalization over recent decades. The analysis further explores how social hierarchies originating in Iranian society are reproduced, reworked, or contested in the migratory context through the study of social interactions between different groups and cultural initiatives undertaken by migrants. The article sheds light on the formation of cosmopolitan subjectivities and practices of cultural distinction within a heterogeneous diasporic space.1

The present article aims to assess the relationship between the mass exodus of Iranian Christians and the Hispanic world, widening the analytical lens on early 20th-century Iranian migrations. Specifically, the study draws parallels between the humanitarian efforts of the Spanish diplomats during the Turkish occupation of northwestern Persia in 1918 and the subsequent arrival and settlement of Assyrians and Armenians in Argentina in the early decades of the twentieth century. Although numerous publications address the early Iranian diaspora and Iran during the World War I, little scholarly work examines Spain’s humanitarian role in this context or the history of the Iranian diaspora in Latin America. This finding underscores the notion that, in addition to the prominent international actors that have historically been the focus of scholarly inquiry—namely, the United States, France, Great Britain, Germany, and Russia—smaller countries also played a significant role in the events that transpired in Iran during those years. Furthermore, this study highlights the Iranian diaspora’s expansion to distant regions, such as Argentina, which has not been extensively researched in the context of Iranian studies. This comprehensive approach serves to broaden our understanding of the global history of Iran in the early twentieth century.

This study investigates the transnational mobility of Iranian women pursuing higher education in South Korea, focusing on their motivations, adaptation, and postgraduation trajectories. Drawing on the influence of the Korean Wave since the 2000s, it examines how popular culture, gender constraints in Iran, and migration aspirations intersect. Despite their initial attraction to Korea’s global image, many face cultural barriers, discrimination, and restrictive visa systems that limit settlement opportunities. Consequently, some seek “onward migration” to third countries such as Canada or Germany. By situating these experiences within broader Iranian migration dynamics, the study highlights gendered dimensions of educational migration and the policy limitations shaping Iranian students’ transnational mobility.