Architecture Professor Documents Ancient Complex

By Dr. Khosrow Bozorgi ([email protected])

Kerman is the remotest of the chain of cities cutting through the central plateau. In the east, the Kavir Desert separates it from what was once Baluchistan, now modern Afghanistan and Pakistan. Historically, the city owed its modest prosperity to the Timurid and Safavid eras, when trade with India was prominent (1587-1629). The Ganj-Ali Khan complex consists of bazaars, baths, mosques, other public and private buildings, courtyards large and small, and paths. The climate naturally influenced the way the Ganj-Ali Khan Complex was planned and built. This research and visual documentation is undertaking a close examination of the cultural and ecological forces that created the Ganj-Ali Khan Complex. 

In search of unity in Iranian desert architecture, it is necessary to understand that the unity of a city's urban fabric features the dominant use of earth construction materials, which are primarily clay and mud brick. The use of clay and mud bricks, as it turns out, has a very long history in Iran and the Mesopotamian areas. Over several millennia, they were important for the survival of cultures that benefited from the unique characteristics of clay and mud bricks in building their homes, cities, and monumental structures. Ganj-Ali Khan complex clearly show unity in the use of construction materials, particularly in the coordinated relationship between the roofscapes and the surfaces of the roofs, a coordination as active as any of the organic landscapes at the ground level. The relationship between roofscapes and the ground level landscapes animates the fabric of the city, just as the roofscapes animate the horizon with domes, balustrades, wind towers, and steps. 

In the month of July 2018, I have been conducting research and documenting an important historical architectural landmark called Ganjali Khan Complex located in the desert city of Kerman, Iran. The complex was built in 15 century and is composed of a school, a square, a caravanserai, a bathhouse, an Ab Anbar (water reservoir), a mint, a mosque and a bazaar. For the first time in the history of Kerman, the complex is viewed by Drone from inside and outside. I am also creating a 3D plan layout for the complex. So far I have videoed 95 GB that covers 19000 square meters. I am also creating a plan layout for the first time (complex never had any plan before). This work is going to be the copyright of CMEAC at the University of Oklahoma. The Center is going to exhibit the result of this research in late fall 2018 or mid-spring 2019. No other research institution or university including Agha Khan Program have ever explored similar comprehensive approach to study Gangali Khan Complex.