THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ARCHITECTS AND CLIENTS IN
HISTORICAL ARCHITECTURE OF IRAN
The subjective relation between clients as the commissioners of architectural design and architects as designers is one of the most important factors in determining the outcome of architec- ture, i.e. a constructed building. This subjective relation is in turn the outcome of two phenomena: on the one hand, the social status and a well-defined relationship between the two sides in the sociocultural milieu, and on the other hand, the images, signs or languages which allows an architect to respond to the client’s needs through application of principles and his own concepts in such a way that the client can judge and evaluate. In this article, the relationship between architects as building designers and clients as building commissioners is studied in the historical architecture of Iran. The result of the study shows how the relationship was, to a great extent and very similar to how it is today, to the advantage of the client and this is probably why in Iran we call buildings by the name of their patrons and not their designers or architects. The strong point in this relationship was a powerful language which was clear and understandable to both sides. The vocabulary of this architectural language enabled the architects to express themselves with a poetical and artistic power while creating, at the same time, an artistic and yet comprehensible space which usually corresponded better to the aesthetics of the time (also pleasurable to the client) more than his functional demands.