Hashti or Dlan-e-voroudi, in most traditional houses and buildings in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, is the space behind the sar-dar (doorway). The term, which is derived from the Iranian word ''hasht'' or eight, refers to its design as an

octagonal In geometry, an octagon (from the Greek ὀκτάγωνον ''oktágōnon'', "eight angles") is an eight-sided polygon or 8-gon. A '' regular octagon'' has Schläfli symbol and can also be constructed as a quasiregular truncated square, t, w ...

space. However, hashtis are constructed in many different shapes such as

hexagonal In geometry, a hexagon (from Greek , , meaning "six", and , , meaning "corner, angle") is a six-sided polygon. The total of the internal angles of any simple (non-self-intersecting) hexagon is 720°. Regular hexagon A '' regular hexagon'' has ...

, square and rectangular designs. In more luxurious homes, the hashti has more ornamentation and a seating area. After the hashti, a series of curved and narrow spaces called "rahro" follow, which usually lead to the home's

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary ...

. In formal buildings such as citadels and shrines, this space can lead to an arched colonnade that forms a ceremonial passageway. In a

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

, the hashti is designed so as to guide the visitor through purification before prayer. The hashti in the Imam Mosque (Shah Mosque) is an example. It leads to the mosque and is constructed next to the Pishkhan, which serves as the entryway that invites people into the building. The hashti is considered a mediatory space between the gate and the interior spaces of a building. When approached from its relationship with the doorway, the hashti is seen as part of the oscillation between participation and distance, activity, and passivity, and detail and whole, among other related perspectives.

References

Architecture in Iran Iranian inventions {{Iran-stub