The 18th World Congress of Jewish Studies

The politics of in/visibility:Tehran urban Jewish History

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The presence of the Jews in Iran has always had its ups and downs. Naturally, political and social changes have been influential in the way of life and interaction of religious minorities in the urban context and neighborhoods of Tehran. Politics rules society. The architecture of religious buildings of religious minorities, on the one hand, is influential in the urban context and, on the other hand, is influenced by the socio-political conditions and structures that govern society. Cities are sites of religious innovation and have become stages for the performance of the religious events and celebrations that form part of urban consumer cultures and contribute to the construction of urban identities and city images. Jews in Iran are recognized minorities that are scattered throughout the city of Tehran. This study investigates the relationship between urban spaces and religious buildings, specifically synagogues, of the Jews in Tehran. By collecting field information and interviewing by descriptive-analytical method, this study has examined the religious buildings of Jews living in Tehran in the Qajar and Pahlavi periods using the theory of visibility described by Andrea Brighenti. Jews have always had little visibility and level of influence in Tehran. This paper starts with a brief history to demonstrate how Jewish places of worship varied in their exposure to the public gaze. Then, the situation of this minority group and their newness to local society on the one hand, and the amount of public display given to their religious practice on the other is studied in detail. An analytical insight on their architecture during Qajar and Pahlavi periods is then brought at the end. This study aims to answer the following questions. How did the Jews, as religious minorities, influence the architecture, urban planning, and reviving the historical fabric of Tehran? How do the Jewish religious places interact with the urban spaces in the course of the evolution of urban textures?