List of historical Iranian architects

.

The Persian dictionary of "Mo'in" defines Mi'mar as:

#That who devises the design and plan of a building, and overlooks its construction.
#A Banna
#That who is responsible for the building, developing, and repairs of a structure or edifice (Emārat).

Needless to say, although many scholars do not recognize the Mimar and the Architect to historically be the same, they do agree that their responsibilities overlap extensively. In this list, they are taken to be the same.

The list is in chronological order, is not comprehensive, and selectively spans the Islamic age based on available records. There is little if any record of the numerous masters of architecture that built some of the early Islamic and pre-Islamic world's wonders of Iran. We do not know who built the palaces of Bishapur, Firouzabad, Persepolis, Susa, or the many other spectacular ancient edifices of Greater Iran. Sadly, no record of their names exists. Only the ruins of what they built give us a faint indication of what masters must have walked the face of this earth eons ago.

Many of the structures remaining today possibly had more than one architect working on them. Only one is mentioned in the following list, and only their most famous work is mentioned. The list also contains the names of builders whom exact dates have been attributed to their buildings.

Pre-Islamic

*Epsay: Holy shrine of Bishapur, 271 CE.
*Sheyda: Was a legendary master who built the magnificent Sassanid palace of "Haft Gonbad" of Bahram Gur, according to the poet Nizami Ganjavi.

First four centuries of The Islamic Era

*Mashallah: Designed and planned Baghdad.
*Naubakht: Designed and planned Baghdad.

11th century

*Hasan Ibn Ali: Designed "Borj-e lajim" near Firuzkuh near Tehran in 1021CE.
*Ahmad Ibn Omar: Designed "Mil-e Radkan" near Gorgan in 1015CE.
*Ali Ibn Mohammad Ibn Hosein Ibn Shah ul-Bana: Built the "Pir e Alamdar" monument in Damghan in 1025CE.
*Abdolmalek Naqqash Mohandes: Built The Kushk-e No-e Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi in 1035CE.
*Ahmad Ibn Abi Ali Ibn Yunes: Built the "Urta Ghapu" in the city of Darband in 1043CE.
*AbdolWahhab Qazvini Ibn Fakhr Avar: Built Borj-e Toghrul in 1054CE in Ray.
*Abul Ma'ali Muhammad Ibn Bakr al-Zanjani: Built the Kharaqan Towers in Qazvin Province in 1053CE.
*Ostad al-Rashid Ibn Abubakr: Built the Mosque of Maku in West Azerbaijan in 1078CE.
*Abubakr: Built the Rananatan mosque in Turkmenia in 1081CE.

12th century

*Mohammad Ibn Ali: Built the Dawlat Abad Minaret in Balkh in 1107CE.
*AbdolHosein: Built the Robat or Caravanserai of Sharaf in Khorasan in 1152CE.
*Ahmad Ibn Ismail: Built the Mosque of Gar near Isfahan in 1120CE.
*Ali Ibn Uthman Ibn Ahmad Neishaburi: Built "Maqbareh-i Shiravan".
*Mohammad Ibn Aziz: Built the tomb of Sanjar in Turkmenia in 1127CE.
*Muhammad Ibn Bandan al-Bana Ibn al-Mohsen: Built Gonbad-e Sorkh-e Maragheh in 1146CE.
*Muhammad Ibn Ahmad Ibn Mahmud: Built "Maghbareh-i baba Khatam" in 1154CE.
*Heydar Ali: Built the Congregation mosque of Ardestan, Isfahan, in 1158CE.
*Muhammad Mimar: Built the Madrasah Badgheis in northern Afghanistan in 1174CE.
*Imam Jamalideen Babviyeh Rafe'i: Built the Rampart of Qazvin in 1176CE.
*Hasan Ibn Piruz al-Maraghei: Built the DiveRigi mosque near Sivas in Turkey in 1179CE.
*Mohammad Ibn Rostam Ibn Ali Ibn Mohammad Ibn Hosein Ibn Hosein: Buil the "Ghadamgah of Imam Rida" in farasheh Taft, Khorasan in 1182CE.
*Abu Mansur: Built the "Seh-gonbad" tomb in Urmia in 1183CE.
*Muhammad Ibn al-Kateb al-Gilani: Built the Rampart of the city of Darband in 1183CE.
*Ahmad Ibn Muhammad: Built "Gonbad-e Kabuod" monument, where the mother of Hulegu is buried, in 1195CE.
*Ibn Bahram: Built the tomb of Amir Shahanshah in Turkey in 1195CE.
*Yusef Ibn Ali ibn Muhammad: Built the tomb of Khuraneq in Yazd in 1198CE.

13th century

*Moslem: Built the Caravanserai of Sangbast in Khorasan in 1202CE.
*Muhammad Rigi: Built "Mil-e Radkan" in Ghuchan in 1203CE.
*Ahmad Ibn Bakr Marandi: Built the tomb of Keikavus in 1219CE.
*Saeed Ibn Jafar al-Bana: Built a tower in Firouzabad, Fars.
*Muahammad Ibn Ahmad Ibn Alavi: Built the Congregation mosque of Bunaft in Yazd in 1234CE.
*Ostad Zeinuddin Abu Rasheed: Built "Hisar Khalaj" in Baku in 1234CE.
*Ostad Enayatollah Ibn Nizamulddin Mimar Isfahani: Built the "Gonbad-e Sabz" in Kerman in 1242CE.
*Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Uthman al-Bana al-Tusi: Built the Madrasah of Sir Chali in Konya in 1242CE.
*Nizamuddin ibn Ostad Ali ibn Ali ibn Najjar: Built the Imamzadeh Seyd Jafar in Damghan in 1264CE.
*Badreddin Tabrizi: Built the tomb of Rumi in Konya in 1273CE.
*Zinul-abedin Mimar: Built the Congregation mosque of Urmia in 1276CE.
*Ostad Ali ibn Hosein Ali al-Ghazi: Built the Tomb of Sheikh Yusef Sarvestani in Fars in 1280CE.
*Muhammad al-Hosein al-Mohandes al-bana Damghani: Built the tower of Burj-e Kashaneh in Bistam in 1299CE.

14th century

*Ostad Ali Haji al-Sanai al-Semnani: Built the Forumad mosque of Jajaram in Khorasan in 1319CE.
*Muhammad Shah Naqqash: Built the tomb of "Pir-e Bakran" in Isfahan in 1302CE.
*Sayyed Ali Shah: Built the Dome of Soltaniyeh in Zanjan in 1303CE also a UNESCO world heritage site.
*Masoud Kermani: Built the Mihrab of Imamzadeh Rabi'eh Khatun in Ashtarjan, Isfahan, in 1306CE.
*Heydar Yabadr: Built the Mihrab of the Congregation mosque of Isfahan in 1310CE.
*Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Bana: Built the Congregation mosque of Ashtarjan, Isfahan, in 1314CE.
*Muhammad ibn Hasan ibn Ibitalib Mohandes Bana al-Damghani and his brother Haji: Built the tomb of Bayazid Bastami in 1323 CE.
*Ostad Muhammad ibn Jamal Ahmad: Built the Burj-i Dozal tower near Tabriz.
*Abu Taleb Damghani: Built Imamzadeh Jafar in Isfahan in 1324CE.
*Muhammad ibn Umar al-Sheikh: Built the northern Iwan of Madraseh-i Imami in Isfahan in 1324CE.
*Ali Qazvini: Built the Congregation mosque of varamin in 1321CE.
*Ali ibn Ibrahim: Built the mosque of Tajang, Yazd, 1328CE.
*Ostad Aghajan ibn Damavandi: Built the Imamzadeh Abdollah in Damavand in 1329CE.
*Haji Muhammad al-Bana Savoji: Built the Caravanserai of "Seen" in Isfahan in 1330CE.
*Khajeh Hosein ibn Seifuddin Mahmud ibn Taj Khajeh: Built the Congregation mosque of Marand in 1339CE.
*Falaki Tabrizi: Built Arg-e Alishah in 1337CE.
*Mafakhir an-Najjar Ustad Hasan ibn Jamal Ahmad Shir Gir: Built Imamzadeh Ghasem Azna in 1337CE.
*Sayyed Ali Amir Hosein al-Bukhari: Built "Bogh'eh Mir Muhamad" in Kharg island in 1339CE.
*Shokrollah: Built Congregation Mosque of Kerman, in 1348CE.
*Ustad Shamsiddin: Built the tomb of Shu-juk Beiga, sister of Tamerlane in Samarkand in 1370CE.
*Khajeh Hosein-e Shirazi: Built The Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasavi in Kazakhstan in 1396CE.
*Ustad Shirazi Mimar: Built the Caravanserai of Dehbeed in Fars in 1384CE.
*Ustad Arif ibn Ustad Musa Jibal: Built The haji Sheikhleh Emarate in Shiravan in 1384CE.
*Ustad Ghashtasb ibn Musa: Built the public bath of Haji Zainuddin Damghani in sharvanshahan in 1387CE.

15th century

*Muhammad ibn Mahmud al-Isfahani: Built the "Gur-i Amir", tomb of Tamerlane, in Samarkand in 1403CE.
*Sayyed Ali ibn Sayyed Kamaluddin Banna Amuli: Built the "Burj-i Sultan Zainul-abideen" in Sari in 1406CE.
*Ghavameddin Shirazi: Built the Goharshad mosque in 1417 CE.
*Hasan Jafar Ustad Mimar Bashi: Built the Imamzadeh Abdollah tomb in Bafq.
*Muhammad ibn Ghadir "aka" Ajor-tarash: Built the "Darb-i Imam" mosque in Isfahan in 1427CE.
*Pasha ibn Bakshah Jamshid: Built the Emarat Shah Balu in the village of Ahu Dasht Natel Rastaq in 1435CE.
*Ustad Haji Ahmad: Built The Ghal'eh Ghar Khalar in Darband in 1437CE.
*Khajeh Mahmud Haj Zein Jame' Shirazi: Built the "Mazar-e Sheikh Ahmad Jam" complex in Khorasan in 1439CE.
*Abdolqadir Isfahani: Built the mosque of Dabbagh-khaneh in Ankara in 1443CE.
*Ustad Hasan ibn Ali Husein Bana Amuli: Built three extant structures in the village of Kajur in around 1443CE.
*Ustad Ghitheddin Shirazi: Built the Congregation mosque of Khargerd in Khorasan in 1443CE.
*Haydar Nafji: Built the Khanqah of Nasr-abad in Isfahan in 1445CE.
*Shamsoddin Muhammad Tabrizi: Built the Mosque of Shah ("Masjed-i Shah") in Mashad in 1451CE.
*Ustad Shamsoddin Ibn Nasrollah Motahhari: Built the Imamzadeh Soltan Mohammad Taher in babol in 1470CE.
*Mohammad ibn Mahmud Bastami: Built the mosque of "Masjed-i Sorkhan" in Bastam in 1477CE.
*Hosein ibn Ali ibn Ahmad Lahijani: Built the mausoleum of Samām in Gilan in 1478CE.
*Darvish Nureddin: Built the mausoleum of "Imamzadeh Ali" in "Shekar-nāb" village near Qazvin in 1479CE.
*Muhammad Ravan-i Qazvini: He and "Haj Abbas ibn Mahmud Qazvini" both built the "pol-i dokhtar" bridge in Miyaneh in Qazvin Province in 1483CE.
*Yaqub Ruyani: Built both the "Sim River" bridge in Lahijan as well as the Polur River bridge northeast of Damavand in 1486 CE.

16th century

*Bayazid ibn Haji Javad: Built the Imamzadeh Yahya shrine in Larijan in 1513CE.
*Ostad Hosein Khorasani: Re-built the tomb of Sheikh Abdol-Samad in Natanz in 1514CE.
*Ustad Mir Ahmad ibn Mir Haji Qomi: Built the "Masjed-e Jame'i Saveh" mosque in Saveh in 1516CE.
*Farabi ibn Uthman Sa'di: Built the "Masjed-i Bozorg-i Ghal'eh-i Hasan Keifa" mosque in 1520CE.
*Ustad Hosein: Built the Mausoleum of "Harun Velayat" near Isfahan in 1521CE.
*Ustad Shamseddin Isfahani: Built the Mausoleum of "Imamzadeh Hamzeh" in Bavanat in 1528CE.
*Ibrahim ibn Ustad Ismail banna Isfahani: Responsible for Isfahan Congregation Mosque in 1531CE.
*Taqi Sultan Qomi: Built the famous "Feyziyeh Qom" seminary in Qom in 1532CE.
*Sani'ullah Mimar-i Yazdi: Built the Congregation mosque of Yazd in 1539CE.
*Ustad Shah Hosein Lahiji: Built the mausoleum of "Agha Sheikh Abolvajih" near Lahijan in 1540CE.
*Heydar Ali Ardestani: Built the popular shrine of "Imamzadeh Mahruq" in Nishapur in 1545CE.
*Sayyed Muhammad ibn Mirak Ghiyathuddin: Built the World Heritage Site of Humayun's Tomb in India in 1562CE.

17th century

*Ahmad Sepah Banna: Built the "Qeysarieh" bazaar of Lar in 1605CE.
*Sultan Muhammad Yazdi: Built the caravanserai and Bathhouse of "Ganjali khan" in Kerman in 1610CE.
*Ustad Ali Akbar Isfahani: He and two other associates built the Shah Mosque of Isfahan between 1612 and 1631.
*Ustad Hosein Shamā'ie Shirazi: Built the "Madreseh Khan" in Shiraz in 1615CE.
*Sheikh Bahaii: Designed a dam "(band)" in "Qahrud", 35km south of Kashan in 1616CE.
*Abdol-jabbar: Built the "Madreseh Shirdar" in Shiraz in 1618CE.
*Muhammad Reza ibn Ustad Hosein Banna Isfahani: Built the Sheikh Lotf Allah Mosque in Isfahan in 1618CE.
*Mulla Alaul Maulk Tuni: One of the architects of Shalimar Gardens, Lahore.
*Shah Taher ibn Sultan Muhammad Naqqash: Built the mausoleum of Sheikh Jabrail in 1621CE near Ardabil.
*Ustad Muhammad Banna: Built the Robat of "Shah Abbas Polur" near Lar in 1624CE.
*Ustad Hoseinali: Built the "Imamzadeh Ismail" in Isfahan in 1632CE.
*Muhammad Ali ibn ustad Alibeyk-i banna Isfahani: Built the "Masjed-i Hakim" mosque in Isfahan in 1661CE.
*Ustad Qasem Mimar: Built the caravanserai of Damghan in 1680CE.
*Muhammad Taher Hamadani: Built the "Masjed-i soltani" in Asad-abad in Hamedan in 1685CE.
*Ustad Taher valad ustad Reza Isfahani: Built the "Caravanserai of Sheikh Ali-khan" a.k.a. "Chaleh siyah-i no" in 1686CE in Isfahan.
*Heydar ibn Hosein banna Isfahani: Built the "masjed-i varzaneh" mosque of Isfahan in 1687CE.
*Mehdi Hoseini: Built a dam "(band)" near the village of "shamanlu" over the Zayandeh River in 1689CE.
*Ustad Isa Shirazi: He and many others were responsible for building the Taj Mahal in Agra in India.

18th century

*Muhammad Hadi Qazvini: Built the "masjed-i muhaddathayn-i sheikh-i kabir" mosque in Babol in 1723CE.
*Ostad baqer Isfahani: Built the Minarat of Kashan's Congregation mosque, 1779CE.
*Ustad Mirza Shirazi: Built the Al-Nabi Mosque, Qazvin in 1787CE.
*Ustad Iskandar Shirazi: Built the "Masjed Soltani" mosque of Borujerd in 1794CE.
*Karbalaee Muhammad-i banna: Built the "Masjed-i Qajar" mosque in astar-abad in Hamedan in 1796CE.
*Ustad Haj Sha'ban-ali: Built the in the late 1700s.

19th century

*Ustad Ali Maryam: Built the Tabatabaei House and Borujerdi-ha House and Timcheh Amin al-dowleh in Kashan in the mid 19th century.
*Muhammad Shafi' Mimar: Built the "Madreseh Soltani" in Kashan in 1810CE.
*Safar Ali Isfahani: Built the "Masjed Soltani" mosque in Semnan in 1826CE.
*Ustad Hosein Mimar: Built the "Masjed-i Jame' Hamadan" in Hamadan in 1837CE.
*Mirza Mehdi Khan-shaghāghi Momtahen al-dowleh: Built the royal gardens of Madreseh Sepahsalar along with Mahmud Mimar and Ustad Ismail Qomi.
*Ustad Muhammad Quli Shirazi: Built the "Masjed-i Haj Rajab-ali" in "Khoongāh" in south Tehran in 1845CE.
*Muhammad Taqi khan Mimar-Bashi: Built the Darolfonoon in 1849CE.
*Ustad Jabbar Tabrizi: Built the "Madreseh-i Akbariyeh" in Tabriz in 1854CE.
*Abdollah khan Mimar-bashi: Built the current "Arg-i Tehran"
*Haji Abol-hasan Mimar Navai: Built Golestan Palace to its current form in 1865CE.
*Ustad Muhammad-ali Kashi: Built the in 1867CE.
*Ustad Aghajuni Mimar: Built "Masjed Rahim-khan" in Isfahan in 1872.
*Ustad Ali-akbar son of Ustad Baqer: Built the famous "Arab ha House" in Isfahan in 1880.
*Arfa'ol molk: Built the in 1895, with the aid of German engineers.

20th century

*Ustad Hosein Sharifi: Built the "Masjed Jame" mosque in Quchan in 1902.
*Jafa-khan Kashani: Built the gates of Bagh e Melli in 1906.
*Muhammad ali Tehrani: Built the "Emarat-i Kulah Farangi Mihmankhaneh Muhamdesiyeh" in Qom in 1921.
*Hasan Mimar-i Qomi: Built the "Imamzadeh Shazdeh Hamzeh" in Qom in 1922.
*Ustad Haj Hasan Mimar Damghani: Built the "Imamzadeh Ijdun" in Varamin in 1924.
*Vartan Havanesian: Built many structures in Tehran, including parts of Sadabad Palace, his earliest work in 1935.
* [http://www.ghiai.com/ Mohandes Heydar Gholi Khan Ghiai-Chamlou]
*Mohandes Hossein Amanat: Built the Tower of Azadi in 1971

Contemporary

Inside Iran

* Heydar Ghiaï ( Iran's Senate House )
* Mohsen Foroughi (law college)
* Hooshang Seyhoon (Ibn sina monument/Nader shah Monument/Baba Taher Monument)
* Abdolaziz Farmanfarmayan (university of tehran mosques and technical college/Azadi sport complex/Niavaran Palace)
* Kamran Diba (Tehran Museum of Contemporary Arts/Niavaran garden and cultural complex/ [http://archnet.org/library/parties/one-party.tcl?party_id=450|Link] , [http://www.netiran.com/?fn=artd(1666)|link] )
* Nasser Hamvatan
* Hadi Mirmiran (First place in most 1990s major competitions/The only architect won a medal of honor in art after reveloution)
* Mohammad-Karim Pir Nia
* Parviz Kalantari
* Nader Ardalan (Tehran management school)
* Nezameddin Hashemi : BETAN.Co Consulting Engineers, Architects & Planners - Graduated from Melli University - Holds some of the nation's capital projects in hand including Mashad LRTC & Tabriz LRT.

Outside Iran

* Babak Sasan United Kingdom [http://www.keppiedesign.co.uk/BabakSasan.html]
* [http://www.kavamassiharchitects.com/ Kava Massih] of Berkeley, CA. (featured on "Architecture" magazine in 2002).
* Bijan Armandpour, LA, CA.
* Mark Vaghei of [http://www.atelierv.com/ Atelier V Architects] . [http://www.atelierv.com/scrapbook6/view_all.nhtml]
* [http://www.haririandhariri.com/ Hariri and Hariri] . Gisue Hariri and Mojgan Hariri are two of the most famous the Iranian American Architects. They are listed in "40 Top architects under 40" (ISBN 3-8228-6212-6). Their projects have been introduced by Steven Holl.
* [http://www.m3architects.com/ Nadi Jahangiri of M3 Architects.]
* Farshid Moussavi
* [http://www.volume5.com/101/html/yazdani_e1.html Mehrdad Yazdani]
* Fariborz Sahba. A Bahá'í architect who designed the famous Lotus temple in India.

* [http://www.hariripontarini.com/#1 Siamak Hariri (of Hariri and Pontarini Architects)]
* Hadi Tehrani
* [http://www.officeda.com/ Nader Tehrani (of Office dA)]
* [http://www.seraji.net/ Nasrine Seraji]
* [http://www.daneshgar.net/ Armin Mohsen Daneshgar]
* Hossein Amanat (works include Azadi Tower and Sharif University, among others)
* Jamal Khodakarami [http://resourcecenter.ashrae.org/store/ashrae/newstore.cgi?itemid=29828&view=item&categoryid=1430&categoryparent=1430&page=1&loginid=26374951] , [http://cisbat.epfl.ch/program.htm#d4] , [http://www.inive.org/Ibase_Search/search-detail-airbase-001.asp?ID=100599] , [http://www.inive.org/Ibase_Search/search-detail-airbase-001.asp?ID=100598] , [http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/archi/ASG_Jamal.php?q=cache:tFr5W6hNvOwJ:www.ishvac07.org.cn/down/GuideBook.doc+j+khodakarami+ishvac&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=uk] ,
* [http://www.ghiai.com/ Yves Ghiaï]
* Shahram Entekhabi
* Nader Khalili of [http://www.calearth.org/ CalEarth Institute.] Founder. Featured on LATimes and NYTimes.
* [http://www.iranian-architects.eu/ United Iranian Architects Europa]

External links

* [http://www.siap.org/ Society of Iranian Architects and Planners]
* [http://heritage.chn.ir/news/?id=21423 A persian article about early 19-20th century architects of Tehran]
* [http://www.caroun.com/Architecture/Architects-Iran.html A list of contemporary Iranian architects]
* [http://www.memarnashr.com/en/memar/prize.html Memar Award, an award set by Memar magazine for the best Architectural design of the year in Iran]
* [http://www.iranchamber.com/architecture/iranian_architecture_today1.php Iranian Architecture Today, A Bridge Between East and West]

References used

For a full comprehensive list of Iranian architects from antiquity up to the modern age, refer to:

*"Mimaran-i Iran" by "Zohreh Bozorg-nia". 2004. ISBN 964-7483-39-2
*"Persian Gardens and Garden Pavilions" by "Donald N. Wilber, Elisabeth B. MacDougall". ISBN 0-88402-082-7
*"The Timurid architecture of Iran and Turan" by "Lisa Golombek and Donald Wilber", Princeton University Press, 1988. ISBN 0-691-03587-3
*Dictionnaire des Architectes, Paris, 1982
*H. Stierlin, Iran des Batisseurs, "2500 ans d'Architeture", Geneva, 1971
*J.I Cohen, M. Eleb & A. Martinelli, "The 20th century Architecture & Urbanism"
*"Iran the Senate House by Heydar Ghiai", Max Gerard, Editions Draeger 1976. ISBN 2-85119-008-3

ee also

*Iranian architecture
*Modern Architecture
*Islamic Architecture