Photos of Wall Niches on Display

In traditional Iranian architecture ‘taqche’ (niche) used to be an important interior element. A built-in shelf or wall niche, taqche was used according to the function of the room. It was commonly used to put decorative objects as well as items for daily use, objects like a lighting stand, a mirror, a vase, books or picture frames. This nostalgic frame is almost delegated to history in today’s architecture As its name has become almost obsolete and less known to the younger generation as they have been replaced by what is known as shelves. Art Gallery of Rooberoo Mansion, located at No. 7, Kianpour dead-end, northeast of Vali-e-Asr Ave. and Enqelab St. intersection, is hosting a collection of nostalgic photographs of niches by Mahnaz Minavand, Honaronline reported.  Photos displayed at the solo exhibit ‘Somewhere Among the Memories’ show niches in old houses, along with decorative objects, photos of near and dear ones, tools and everyday stuff. The exhibition is the photographer’s effort to help protect the legacy, or whatever is left of it, of some elements of architecture gradually assigned to oblivion. To collect the photos, Minavand traveled to cities where old architecture is still visible; cities like Yazd in Yazd Province; Shahr-e-Kord, capital of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province,  Taleghan in Alborz Province, Kashan in Isfahan Province, and Qeshm Island in Hormuzgan Province.  In some old mansions there were niches set above the usual within-reach niches, called ‘high niches’. Technically, they were devised to decrease the heavy load of walls which in earlier times were made by the use of heavy square-shaped bricks. People usually kept their more precious things on the higher niche because it was also out of the reach of children.