Islamic versus non-Islamic or simply Western style architecture is an issue in many parts of the Middle East where locals, kingdoms and sheikdoms refuse or steadfastly hold onto their identity.

Look at the Arab Gulf States like Dubai where giant, glass fronted skyscrapers dominate the skyline.

These futuristic structures are being called cheap and anonymous by prominent architects like Frank Gehry. In Saudi Arabia the king there is attempting to wipe historic holy sites off the map by developing over them. ISIS too is wiping history off the map with their own agenda.

But Iran is very different than the rest of the Arab world right now. And legistlators there are trying to buck the trend of modernism.

The Iranian back end story

Architecture in the Islamic Republic of Iran, which for centuries followed a more traditional style of environmentally green designs gave way to more modern styling during the 53 year period of the Pahlavi monarchies; especially during the reign of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who reigned from September 1941 until February 1979.

During his 38 year “off and on” reign, Shah Reza Pahlavi made great efforts to introduce Western culture into the country, which also included dramatic changes in Iran’s architectural styling.

See traditional fishbowl architecture from Iran.

Although modern architectural styling continues to change the face of Iranian cities like Tehran, efforts are now being made by Iran’s Supreme Ruler, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is slow down the pace of contemporary architecture by issuing criticisms against modern high rise structures as being “un Islamic” and not in accordance to religious fatwas or edicts.  Sustainability issues are not on the table.

According to an essay article written by Mojtaba Nafisi,  during Iran’s rich architectural history “the spatial layout of house design in Iran reflected the patriarchal structure of the society through the rigid segregation between private and public space, known in Persian architecture as the andaruni and biruni.”

Putting a veil on shameless and erotic buildings

This architectural concept has now been compromised, he writes, by more contemporary architectural designs which “are also considered erotic because, unlike the spatially introverted pre-modern architecture of Iran, faces outward with windows that shamelessly offer strangers a peek at the buildings’ private parts.”

Related: Khamenei won’t like these rotating rooms in Tehran!

Religious edicts or fatwas against modern building styles were published by Center for the Study of Science and Technology of the Islamic Iranian Architecture and Urban Planning, which is said to have close ties with the Supreme Ruler, who appears to prefer more traditional or Patriarcial building codes.

This doesn’t mean that Khameni is against all forms of modern innovations; as Nafisi says Khamenei “appears to like other Western innovations, from smoking pipes to ballistic missiles.”

Major efforts have been made to change architectural styling that was introduced during the reign of Iran’s last Shah, the late Reza Pahlavi. These include a number of buildings that were designed and constructed by large Israeli construction companies prior  to the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

One of these buildings, at Tehran’s international airport (see photo), was still reported to have Israel’s national emblem, the Star of David, still noticeable on the building’s roof.  This symbol, which has been described by Iranian media as a “symbol of evil”, lays evidence to cooperation between Israel and the Pahlavi regime, when airlines of Israel’s national carrier  El Al, made regular flights to and from Tehran and Tel Aviv.

Other Israeli structures include the former Tehran Hilton hotel, now called the Parsian Esteghlal International Hotel, and the Elkan Towers residential project (photo top).

Judging from the current political atmosphere, regarding the state of relations between these two countries, these remaining symbols of past Israeli – Iranian cooporation have undoubtedly  been a part of Khamenei’s “un-Islamic” building design thoughts as well.

More articles on Middle Eastern and Islamic architecture:
Extraordinary Fish Bowl Architecture Photos by Iran’s Mohammad Domiri
Dubai’s Skyscrappers are Cheap and Anonymous Says Architect Franky Gehry
Islam’s Environmentally Friendly Architecture – Where Did it Go?

Photo of Tehran Airport building -Google Earth:
Photo of Elkan Towers, by Sam Ibanaru/Haaretz

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Israeli designer HIlla Shamia has found a way to mix “oil and water” or aluminum and wood – two materials I’ve never seen fused together. The product designer has created a novel way to meld both poured aluminum with irregular wood chunks to create modern tables and benches with a warm industrial feel. Old world and new world in one.

We’ve been seeing designers and so-called nature lovers pouring molten aluminum into everything from beehives to scorpion dens to get intricate patterns laid by nature.

Hilla’s process preserves the natural tree form while the molten aluminum goes with the flow as it finds its way into cracks of the wood, burning the wood ever so slightly where the two pieces meet. One can find old aluminum to recycle into new designs, using aluminum cladding or the aluminum from old barn roofs.

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Even though it has no peat moss or bogs, the Holy Land is about to start producing whiskey.

Producing quality distilled whiskey in the Land of Milk and Honey has been tried in the past, but has not been  successful. This situation may change, however, due to efforts by a trio of young Israeli entrepreneurs who are determined to produce quality single malt whiskey that could rival anything now being produced in the world’s finest whiskey distilleries.

The trio: Tomer Goren, Simon Fried and Nir Gilat want to go a step beyond the average blended Scotch whiskey offered by large commercial distillers and produce a fine aged “single malt” product that will hold its own, quality wise, against traditional whiskies distilled in either the hills and moors of Scotland or the green glades of the Irish Emerald Isle.

To top everything off, the trio’s Milk & Honey whisky products are to be strictly kosher; so much so, that even the most discriminating ultra orthodox Jew will be able accept it. The whiskey will be made under strict rabbinical supervision and will be made from strictly kosher basic ingredients.

A renowned British chemist and scientific consultant for the whiskey industries, Jim Swan, will serve as the master distiller for the enterprise and will be instructed in Jewish kosher food production laws as well.

Israel’s previous experience in producing Scotch whiskey occurred more than 40 years back when a local spirits producing company, National Distillers, opened a Scotch Whiskey distillery in the Galilee development town of Carmiel in 1971. This was done under guidance from a Scottish company who provided the manufacturing know how.

For a while, the blended whisky product they made and marked under the Ascot label was received well by both the Israeli public and by purchasers abroad; until the Scotch Whiskey Association together with manufacturers of well known  Scottish brand whiskies sued National Distillers for misleading the public into thinking their product produced in Carmiel was true Scotch whisky. This ended the ill fated venture and put the idea of producing Israeli distilled whisky into the deep freeze – until now.

In order to produce a fine product like single malt whiskey, the ingredients must be undergo a fermentation and aging process that takes at least 3 years until it can be marketed. In order to provide income during this time (until the first batch is ready for sale) the trio plans to produce other alcohol products, including beer.

“We dreamed about whiskey, but in the coming years we’ll produce gin, rum, bourbon and local liqueur until the time for marketing our whiskey arrives, things will be interesting for us,” said Tomer Goren to Haaretz.

They also need to find  ways to come up with funds available to produce their products as local banks are not keen on giving loans for making alcohol-based products.

Goren says that they want Israelis to be proud of having such a fine product as single malt whiskey made locally and not only imported. When asked how another whisky product will affect the problem of excessive alcohol consumption the trio has an answer for that as well: “It’s very easy to blame the alcohol companies for all the bad things that happen to us (as a result of alcohol consumption related problems), but in the final analysis, it’s all a matter of education about the culture of drinking,” says Goren to a local paper.

More on alcohol in the Middle East:
Ancient Wine Press for “Pauper’s Wine” and Vinegar Unearthed in Israel
Boycott  Wine Until Vineyard No Longer Animal Death Trap?
Why Muslims Don’t Drink Alcohol
Drinking Beer in Cans and Other Middle East Regional Recycling Problem

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Not ready for Christmas, just yet, this Israeli multi-purpose desk design and storage unit could be on a green shopper’s list next year if it goes to production.

Blob is made by two Israeli designers Alina Boukovsky and Yirat Lorenz who just won a prestigious global student design award where they came out top.

The idea was to design something suitable for small spaces, the latest trend in architecture and design. As our cities become more dense, multi-functional furniture that fits into small spaces is highly sought out.

In choosing a winner, entries were judged on a list of evaluative criteria including conceptual creativity, originality, aesthetic, social and environmental considerations, ability to visually/verbally explain the ideas, and presentation skill.

Watch the video of Blob below:

The Israeli designers come from the College of Management Academic Studies in Rishon LeZion where they are third year college students.

With 35 entries from 23 universities in 16 countries, the next generation of designers took part in the inaugural WING International Student Design Competition and Awards by the International Federation of Interior Designers/Architects.

This year’s winning entries were chosen by an international judging panel of renowned personalities in the world of design including Raymund Königk (South Africa), Nilgün Çarkaci (Turkey), Sylvia Leydecker (Germany), Kay Sargent (USA), Naoki Iijima (Japan) and Shashi Caan (Chair, USA).

Titled ‘Blob: Innovative Workspace’, the design team concept focuses on the personal space of people being dramatically reduced in the modern era as result of a demographic shift.

The design was influenced by the recent trend to create products containing a multitude of uses in one element, or convergences. Given this trend, they developed a workspace model that meets both functional and decorative aspects.

With an iron rod as the backbone of the workstation, the MDF (medium-density fibreboard) units threaded through the rod, moving around in a unique way, according to the required function. The center pole also doubles as a pass through for the power cable for the lighting fixture located at the top of the model.

“In my design projects I always try to find original, interesting and creative solutions, even for the most standard cases,” said Yirat whose connection to art began at early childhood.

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