The endurance of any type of architecture is contingent upon the study of the characteristics that led to its formation. Two general approaches have been adopted to study and analyze the Iranian architecture. A number of scholars have taken a historical approach, while others have merely considered a genre- based approach. Making use of many historical studies, these scholars have attempted to produce an exacting categorization of Iranian architecture. They focuse on outward form and embellishment to identify and distinguish various classes and sub-classes of architecture in Iran. The third approach, which is outlined in this article, tries to explain such architecture from a conceptual point of view. This essentially involves identifying and analyzing those features that have allowed it to endure. The article shows that there has been a precise and thought- provoking interaction between architects and the intellectual classes that led to the formation of an enduring and transcendent form of architecture in Iran.
