Editing Iranian architecture (section)

=== Fundamental principles ===
[[File:33 Bridges 3.jpg|right|thumb|[[Si-o-se Pol]], one of the bridges of Isfahan]]
Traditional Persian architecture has maintained a continuity that, although temporarily distracted by internal political conflicts or foreign invasion, nonetheless has achieved an unmistakable style.<ref name=":0" />

[[Arthur Pope]], a 20th-century scholar of Persian architecture, described it in these terms: "there are no trivial buildings; even garden pavilions have nobility and dignity, and the humblest [[caravanserai]]s generally have charm. In expressiveness and communicativity, most Persian buildings are lucid, even eloquent. The combination of intensity and simplicity of form provides immediacy, while ornament and, often, subtle proportions reward sustained observation."<ref name=autogenerated1>[[Arthur Upham Pope]]. ''Persian Architecture''. George Braziller, New York, 1965. p.10</ref>

According to scholars [[Nader Ardalan]] and [[Laleh Bakhtiar]], the guiding formative motif of Iranian architecture has been its cosmic [[symbol]]ism "by which man is brought into communication and participation with the powers of heaven".<ref>[[Nader Ardalan]] and [[Laleh Bakhtiar]]. ''Sense of Unity; The Sufi Tradition in Persian Architecture''. 2000. {{ISBN|1-871031-78-8}}</ref>{{Page needed|date=August 2023}} This theme has not only given unity and continuity to the architecture of Persia, but has been a primary source of its emotional character as well.{{Clarify|reason=What is "emotional character" supposed to mean in this context, to general readers? Is this based on the same source cited before this?|date=August 2023}}