What is Iwan?
[[Image:Jam%C3%A9_Mosque_Esfahan_courtyard.jpg|thumb|170px|left|[[Great Mosque of Esfahan]], View of the north iwan from the courtyard]] An '''iwan''' ({{lang-fa|إيوان}} ''eyvān'') is defined as a vaulted [[hall]] or [[space]], [[wall]]ed on three [[side]]s, with one end open. Iwans were a trademark of the [[Sassanid]] architecture of [[Persia]]. They then found their way into [[Islamic architecture]]. Typically, iwans open on to a central courtyard, and have been used in both public and residential architecture. {{stub}} [[Category:Islamic architecture]]