Development of Buildings around Arak’s Arg Square: from the Time of Construction in the Qajar Era to Present

Concurrent with political events of the Qajar era and the need to establish a new government center in the west of Iran to help with securing territories and controlling riots and unrest, Fath ‘Ali Shah, the second Qajar King, commissioned Yusuf Khan Gorji to build a fortress in the area previously called ʿEraq-e ʿAjam. After a short time, the new town, which was called Arak or Sultan-abad, went under many changes. Arak is one of the few towns built in the Qajar period according to a pre-designed plan, originally conceived as a military fortress by its founders. It has prominent features that have been hardly studied, the most important of which is the military forum or “Arg.” Along with the development of the city, the military function faded in a short time. The Arg square underwent many changes including changes in its function and surrounding buildings such as residential quarters, baths, a mosque, and a school, which were either rebuilt or destroyed during the recent century. Library research and review of travelogues, documents, maps, and available historical photographs of the Arg Square were done in a descriptive-historical method, showing that according to historical milestones and critical periods in the life of Arak, eight stages can be traced to study the development of the Arg Square.  In each stage, physical changes in the buildings around this square can be identified based on historical documents. These stages show the development of the city from its foundation and construction to the present, its transformation from a military town to a commercial and then industrial one, followed by changes in the buildings and function of the Arg Square.