Sea-Soul Bata
The Palace of the Consul General of Iran in Tbilisi Mirza Reza Khan Arfa, 1892, Borjomi.
The Villa Firuze, built in 1892 in one of the most famous resorts of Georgia, Borjomi, was constructed for the Consul of Persia, Mirza Reza Khan (1854-1938), and was his resort residence. When he left Georgia, the building functioned as hotel, and during the Soviet period it became a building within the sanatorium Firuze. Today it is privately owned and is not occupied. Our research briefly describes the history of the Borjomi resort, a brief biography of Mirza Reza Khan, and the architectural pecu-liarities of the building within the contexts of the function of the building, local circum-stances and the owner’s cultural. A compara-tive analysis of the architectural structure of Iranian residences of the 19th century and local Georgian residences, namely the “Tbilisian house”, of the same period reveals the peculiarities of this structure. For both types of residential houses, courtyards were very important, however their cultural uses were quite different. They had different structures and socio-cultural purposes, for example the basis of planning an Iranian residential house was a division into zones (e.g. winter and summer zones). This was influenced both by climate and by a clear delimitation of the social roles of women and men, which dictated personal and semi-personal space, or andaruni and biruni (andarūnī , bīrūnī ). For an Iranian house, the existence of both personal and semi-personal spaces is char-acteristic. The Iranian courtyard is com-pletely closed to the outer world and does not open outwards; nor does it offer access on any side. This is a main difference from Tbilisian courtyards that are semi-open and connect directly to the street, i.e. the outer world. There is no clear limit between per-sonal and public spaces. To the contrary, the yard--as well as the balcony--is a kind of intermediary link, a semi-open, transitional space, where personal activity is directed to-wards the social and doesn’t turn its back on public space. Such considerations show how architecture accommodates the content, ex-pressing cultural identity. In the case of Firuze, however, the concept of yards is different from Iranian residences of the 19th c. Indeed it resembles the yards of a Tbilisian house as it directly adjoins the street and the space is not completely isolat-ed from public space. The Villa Firuze court-yard, also like a Tbilsian house, is character-ized by uninterrupted balconies along each floor. It resembles a Tbilisian house not only in appearance and style but the function was also similar. The balcony connects dif-ferent parts of the building– rooms, dining hall, kitchen, spa, etc. Yet the building has an oriental appearance and is characterized by its décor. The profile of the upper part of the wooden balcony on the main façade was likely inspired by the peshtak-balcony with pointed arch, characteristic of Iranian archi-tecture. Mosaics with mirrors were also char-acteristic of Iranian architecture. Here these were created by the master, Mirza Muham-mad Naqash Qazvin, invited from Qazvin. His name is written on a board in the center of the balcony. Oriental mukarnas motifs, Iranian paintings with flowers and birds, etc. are also used in the décor. Thus, the desire of the owner, Mirza Deza Khan, to make his Borjomi residence resemble his native Iran and express his identity was realized. Photos of portraits of the Iranian Shah of the epoch and other nobles were included in the décor of the balcony, giving the building its unique appearance. Thus, Villa Firuze embodies ele-ments both of Iranian art and the architec-tural concepts of a Tbilisian house, including its European embossed décor with cupids and embellishments. Overall, the Firuze is a building with diverse and interesting visual aspects with its roofs of different shapes, while the dynamically ar-ranged architectural structures fit the envi-ronment – the Caucasus Mountains reaching to the sky, the tall spruce and other trees, all perfectly fitting the environment and creat-ing an organic unity with nature. Villa Firuze is unique for its artistic-architectural charac-teristics—the organic unification of different artistic traditions and a harmonious amalga-mation with nature and environment--that creates its artistic value. Besides this, its his-torical value is also clear proof of the peace-ful co-habitation, openness and cultural dia-logue between people of different identities and cultures of that period.
The Palace of the Consul General of Iran in Tbilisi Mirza Reza Khan Arfa, 1892, Borjomi.
The Villa Firuze, built in 1892 in one of the most famous resorts of Georgia, Borjomi, was constructed for the Consul of Persia, Mirza Reza Khan (1854-1938), and was his resort residence. When he left Georgia, the building functioned as hotel, and during the Soviet period it became a building within the sanatorium Firuze. Today it is privately owned and is not occupied. Our research briefly describes the history of the Borjomi resort, a brief biography of Mirza Reza Khan, and the architectural pecu-liarities of the building within the contexts of the function of the building, local circum-stances and the owner’s cultural. A compara-tive analysis of the architectural structure of Iranian residences of the 19th century and local Georgian residences, namely the “Tbilisian house”, of the same period reveals the peculiarities of this structure. For both types of residential houses, courtyards were very important, however their cultural uses were quite different. They had different structures and socio-cultural purposes, for example the basis of planning an Iranian residential house was a division into zones (e.g. winter and summer zones). This was influenced both by climate and by a clear delimitation of the social roles of women and men, which dictated personal and semi-personal space, or andaruni and biruni (andarūnī , bīrūnī ). For an Iranian house, the existence of both personal and semi-personal spaces is char-acteristic. The Iranian courtyard is com-pletely closed to the outer world and does not open outwards; nor does it offer access on any side. This is a main difference from Tbilisian courtyards that are semi-open and connect directly to the street, i.e. the outer world. There is no clear limit between per-sonal and public spaces. To the contrary, the yard--as well as the balcony--is a kind of intermediary link, a semi-open, transitional space, where personal activity is directed to-wards the social and doesn’t turn its back on public space. Such considerations show how architecture accommodates the content, ex-pressing cultural identity. In the case of Firuze, however, the concept of yards is different from Iranian residences of the 19th c. Indeed it resembles the yards of a Tbilisian house as it directly adjoins the street and the space is not completely isolat-ed from public space. The Villa Firuze court-yard, also like a Tbilsian house, is character-ized by uninterrupted balconies along each floor. It resembles a Tbilisian house not only in appearance and style but the function was also similar. The balcony connects dif-ferent parts of the building– rooms, dining hall, kitchen, spa, etc. Yet the building has an oriental appearance and is characterized by its décor. The profile of the upper part of the wooden balcony on the main façade was likely inspired by the peshtak-balcony with pointed arch, characteristic of Iranian archi-tecture. Mosaics with mirrors were also char-acteristic of Iranian architecture. Here these were created by the master, Mirza Muham-mad Naqash Qazvin, invited from Qazvin. His name is written on a board in the center of the balcony. Oriental mukarnas motifs, Iranian paintings with flowers and birds, etc. are also used in the décor. Thus, the desire of the owner, Mirza Deza Khan, to make his Borjomi residence resemble his native Iran and express his identity was realized. Photos of portraits of the Iranian Shah of the epoch and other nobles were included in the décor of the balcony, giving the building its unique appearance. Thus, Villa Firuze embodies ele-ments both of Iranian art and the architec-tural concepts of a Tbilisian house, including its European embossed décor with cupids and embellishments. Overall, the Firuze is a building with diverse and interesting visual aspects with its roofs of different shapes, while the dynamically ar-ranged architectural structures fit the envi-ronment – the Caucasus Mountains reaching to the sky, the tall spruce and other trees, all perfectly fitting the environment and creat-ing an organic unity with nature. Villa Firuze is unique for its artistic-architectural charac-teristics—the organic unification of different artistic traditions and a harmonious amalga-mation with nature and environment--that creates its artistic value. Besides this, its his-torical value is also clear proof of the peace-ful co-habitation, openness and cultural dia-logue between people of different identities and cultures of that period.