Architectural Heritage in the Western Azerbaijan Province of Iran (eBook)

This book represents a reflection on the policies of preservation that were established and interventions for restoration that occurred in Iran before and in the years after the Khomeinist Revolution, as well as being an analysis of the impact that Italian restoration culture has had in the country. Research concerning the state of conservation and the ongoing restoration of the Armenian churches in the Khoy and Salmas areas is included, along with precise documentation of the observation of the two cities, their architecture and the context of their landscape. The problems of architectural restoration in present-day Iran and the compatible use of buildings no longer intended for worship are addressed. The book is bolstered by first-hand documentation obtained through inspections and interviews with Iranian specialists during three missions carried out between 2016 and 2018 and a large anthology of period texts that have only recently been made available for the first time for study in electronic form, including travel reports written by Westerners describing Persia between the 15th and 19th centuries.

Maurizio Boriani Architect is Full Professor in Architectural Conservation at the Politecnico di Milano (Department of Architectural Design-School of Civil Architecture), retired in 2016. He is Former Director of the Department of Architectural Design at the Politecnico di Milano. He is Member of the Teaching College of the Ph.D. in Architectural Conservation at the Politecnico di Milano. He is Former President of the Scientific Board of the Cultural Heritage Conservation Center of the Politecnico di Milano. He is Research Coordinator on behalf of the UNESCO, World Bank and European Community, Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other private and public agencies. He is UNESCO Consultant for Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Kossovo, Myanmar; he is Expert in international cooperation on behalf of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (China, Vietnam, Armenia, Pakistan). His research topics are conservation and management of historic towns and archaeological sites, cultural landscape preservation and management, the history and conservation of gardens. He is the author or editor of more than 250 papers and books on these themes.

Mariacristina Giambruno Architect is recipient of Ph.D. in Preservation of Architectural Heritage and has obtained degree in Restoration of Monuments; she teaches at the School of Architecture, Urban Planning, and Construction Engineering, and at the Graduate School in Architectural and Landscape Heritage (Politecnico di Milano). She is Full Professor in Architectural Conservation. She is Member of the Faculty Board of the Ph.D. program in Architecture, Urban Design, Conservation of Housing and Landscape until 2012, becoming Head of the Ph.D. program in Preservation of Architectural Heritage (Politecnico di Milano) in 2019. Both her teaching and research activity are oriented around the history and theories of architectural heritage, conservation of historical heritage, historical center conservation and management and guidelines and management plans for preserving and promoting cultural heritage. In recent years, she has focused on emerging and transitioning countries, working on and directing international projects in collaboration with organizations such as UNESCO, the World Bank, AICS in Albania, Iran, Armenia, China, Pakistan and Vietnam. In these countries, she has investigated the role of cultural heritage as a trigger for sustainable development. As a speaker at conferences in Italy and abroad, she has held courses and workshops in Armenia, Vietnam, Portugal, where she is part of a research unit coordinated by the Lusada University of Lisbon. She has authored roughly 150 publications on the preservation of Historical Centers and Architectural Heritage.