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Iranian Architecture Caught Amid a Crisis of Concrete and KitschThink of Persia and one of the first images that may spring to mind is of its architecture: magnificent domes, minarets and arches, lavish calligraphy on turquoise ceramics, or lush gardens in desert oases.
But Tehran, Iran's capital and its window on the world, is an entirely different matter.
Any first-time visitor to the sprawling city may be in for a rude surprise when presented with a landscape of drab concrete interspersed with more modern buildings that push the boundaries of kitsch.
"They look like prostitutes - suggestive, sleazy and loud," is the no-nonsense view of Maryam Kowsar, 43, a Tehran-based architect and one of many such artists cringing in their cabinets.
"It's the third world, where money talks. That's why you'll find mock-Roman columns, Parisian windows, reflective glass, wrought iron railings and hi-tech elements all mixed up together. Our architecture is a parody. It is not a social movement anymore."
Prior to the 1970's oil boom, Tehran was home to under three million people. Since then it has tripled in size. With developers constantly seeking to build higher into the ridge of towering peaks that overlook the city from the north, the old bazaar - the traditional hub of any Iranian town - is now in the far south of Tehran.
And tower blocks and highways have long since swallowed up once peaceful summer getaways of mud
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24/9/2004 | Viewed 5,934 time(s)
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