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‘Gates of Old Tehran’ at City Photo Museum

‘Gates of Old Tehran’ at City Photo Museum

TEHRAN.(Iranart) – A photo exhibition showing the 'Gates of Old Tehran' is underway at City Photo Museum in Tehran.

Over 40 historical photographs collected by calligrapher, page illuminator, ceramic artist, author, essayist and researcher in Iranian and Islamic arts, Kianoosh Motaqedi, are on display, Fhnews.ir reported.

The exhibit opened Monday and will run till April 19. It is one of the outcomes of a two-year library research by Motaqedi, 35.

Based on the research, he also published a book titled 'The Gates of Old Tehran.' The book was released in 2017 by the Tehran-based publishing house Peikareh in English, Persian and French. 

Dutch author and historian Willem Floor, who has written extensively on Iran, has added a foreword to Motaqedi's book that can serve as a statement of the exhibit:

Tehran was not and still is not a beautiful city. However, there were, and fortunately still are, islands of beauty inside the general drabness of the Qajarid capital city. Until 1880s, trees were the first view people would notice when coming to Tehran. Until that time, Tehran, like most other Iranian cities, was still a city of gardens.

The second view of the city was its gates, which apart from economic functions such as collection of customs, also drew visitor's attention to several aspects of cultural heritage.

The gates were of peculiar and unique architectural design. They were covered with the best Iranian tiles that made the gates stand out as colorful monuments against the dull and colorless background of the city walls and the countryside surrounding the city.

The tiles on the gates had stories to tell. Most of them were in traditional geometrical patterns, typical of the decorative wall coverings having existed then. But some gates were adorned with the tiles that showed many images and figures, likenesses of folk and ancient heroes, but mostly were life-sized figures of Qajar officials and soldiers with weaponry here and there.

  Changing City

The builders of the gates and patrons of the photographs clearly wanted spectators to realize that Iran was changing in terms of social and urban development. However, in the 1920s, the gates were removed to give room to urban renewal and modernization.

In 'Gates of Old Tehran,' Motaqedi revives the gates for today's audience. He analyzes the history and location of the gates, their date of construction, architectural patterns and social and economic roles.

Motaqedi managed to find photos and illustrations of all the gates Tehran once boasted of. Some photos show the removal of these gates.  The photos show how much Tehran has lost its art and architectural patrimony. They also show how important tiles were in Iranian architecture.

In the preface of his book, Motaqedi wrote that when Tehran was chosen as the capital of Iran in Qajarid era, the city gates were among its most important architectural achievements. When Tehran underwent rapid growth, people from other cities and foreigners came over to settle in the city. Therefore, the city grew beyond its Safavid (1501-1722) borders.

During the reign of Nasser al-Din Shah, as a result of the city's gradual expansion and due to the change in its plan in 1867-8, the number of gates increased from four to 12. From then on, people and caravans were checked by gatekeepers. The present photos are gathered from the archives of the Institute of Iranian Contemporary History Studies, Golestan Palace Complex (photos by Abdollah Qajar and others) and the Smithsonian Institute (photos by Antoin Sevruguin).

City Photo Museum is located at Bahar-Shiraz Park near 7-Tir Square.

 

Gates of Old Tehran
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