Iwan Swiergowski
An iwan ( fa, ایوان , ar, إيوان , also spelled ivan) 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 , a Persian language, Persian term for a portal projecting from the facade of a building, usually decorated with Islamic calligraphy, calligraphy bands, glazed tilework, and Islamic geometric patterns, geometric designs. Since the definition allows for some interpretation, the overall forms and characteristics can vary greatly in terms of scale, material, or decoration. Iwans are most commonly associated with Islamic architecture; however, the form is Persian architecture, Iranian in origin and was invented much earlier and fully developed in Mesopotamia around the third century CE, during the Parthian Empire, Parthian period of Persia. Etymology ''Iwan'' is a Persian word which was subsequently borrowed into other languages such as Arabic and Turkish language, Turkish. Its et ...
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