Seljuk architecture comprises the building traditions that developed under the Seljuk dynasty, when it ruled most of the Middle East and Anatolia during the 11th to 13th centuries. The Great Seljuk Empire contributed significantly to the architecture of Iran and surrounding regions, introducing innovations such as the symmetrical four-iwan layout and the first widespread creation of state-sponsored madrasas. Their buildings were generally constructed in brick, with decoration created using brickwork, tiles, and carved stucco.
Image: Gran Mezquita de Isfahán, Isfahán, Irán, 2016 09 20, DD 52 54 HDR
Image: Divrigi Mosque north portal DSCF2438 edit
Image: Çifte Minareli Medrese (Erzurum) Entrance 8685 (cropped)
Courtyard of the Friday Mosque in Isfahan, with its four-iwan layout dating from the early 12th century
An iwan is a rectangular hall or space, usually vaulted, walled on three sides, with one end entirely open. The formal gateway to the iwan is called pishtaq, a Persian term for a portal projecting from the facade of a building, usually decorated with calligraphy bands, glazed tilework, and geometric designs. Since the definition allows for some interpretation, the overall forms and characteristics can vary greatly in terms of scale, material, or decoration.
Multiple iwans and tiled domes of the 16th-century Persian-style Mir-i-Arab madrasa, Bukhara, Uzbekistan
View of iwan at Hatra (present-day Iraq)
Taq-i Bostan
The iwan of the Palace of Ardashir