Iran has one of the oldest town cultures in the world. It goes back more than 4,000 years. Between the Islamic conquest in the seventh century and the westernisation in the second half of the nineteenth century, the cities and towns in today's Islamic Republic of Iran underwent repeated changes. The Persian building culture influenced architects and artists as far as Central Asia in the north and India in the east. Unlike any other oriental country, Iran shows a unique urban and architectonic development whose defining characteristics merged with other cultures over the course of time, representing an important contribution to world architecture. In his Iran Architectural Guide, the author and architect Thomas Meyer-Wieser embarks on a journey into history, showcasing nearly 300 buildings and projects in Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz. His focus is on the identity of the Iranian- Islamic architecture, which has held its own since the rise of the Safavids in 1501.
