Passageways are among the most significant urban spaces in historical cities; typically featuring simple walls covered with thatch-and-mud plaster in Iran’s hot and dry climate. Meanwhile, gateways serve as the most prominent architectural elements of these pathways. Although numerous studies have investigated entrance spaces and historical gateways in various cities, as well as non-residential monuments in Qom, the residential gateways of this city have not yet been independently explored. Therefore, the present study aims to represent, identify, and typify the gateways of Qom's historical houses across time. To this end, written sources were first reviewed to document the elements, components, and decorative arrays of gateways, followed by a comprehensive field survey of Qom’s historical fabric, during which over 200 historical gateways were identified and documented. Subsequently, the data were classified and typified using comparative analysis and similarity-matching techniques. The findings indicate that the historical residential gateways of Qom can be categorized into two main periods: the Qajar (including Early and Late Qajar) and the Pahlavi (including First and Second Pahlavi) eras. By extracting formal and decorative patterns, this paper can assist in architectural dating, documentation, and the implementation of principled conservation and restoration programs within the historical fabric of Qom.
Passageways are among the most significant urban spaces in historical cities; typically featuring simple walls covered with thatch-and-mud plaster in Iran’s hot and dry climate. Meanwhile, gateways serve as the most prominent architectural elements of these pathways. Although numerous studies have investigated entrance spaces and historical gateways in various cities, as well as non-residential monuments in Qom, the residential gateways of this city have not yet been independently explored. Therefore, the present study aims to represent, identify, and typify the gateways