Glossary · I
Iwan
Also called iwans, eyvan, ivan, īwān
A vaulted hall walled on three sides and open on the fourth, usually facing a courtyard; the characteristic space of Iranian architecture.
See also: Pishtaq, Four-iwan plan
Rules that use the word
The four-iwan court. Place an iwan (a vaulted hall walled on three sides and open on the fourth) at the middle of each side of the courtyard, the one on the qibla side leading to a domed chamber before the mihrab.
The pishtaq. Set the iwan arch in a tall rectangular screen that rises above the roofline, framed by bands of inscription and flanked by minarets.
Where it appears in the book
In the chapters The Islamic World.
A feature of Persian Islamic (Seljuk, Timurid and Safavid) architecture.
Nearby in the glossary
Intrados · Ionic · Irimoya · Isodomum · Jagati · Jali · Jetty · Jian