The subject of the research is to examine the reflection of Iranian architectural culture on the architecture of Abbasid palaces with an intertextual approach. The research aims to examine the social and cultural factors in the persistence of Iranian social traditions in the first and second Abbasid centuries and to compare the plans of some palaces of these two periods to discover similarities and differences in the organization of plans and functions. The research questions are to identify Iranian architectural patterns in organizing the plans of Abbasid palaces and the role of Iranian politicians in cultural reflection. The research is fundamental regarding results and consequences; from a temporal, cross-sectional, and retrospective perspective; from a logic of implementation, it is deductive and based mainly on inductive arguments; and from a processual, qualitative, and historical-interpretive approach. Cultural phenomena play the role of independent variables, and the shape and design of architectural areas and spaces play the role of dependent variables. The statistical population in terms of time and space is the first and second Abbasid periods (132/334 AH). The spatial scope includes all the capitals under the Abbasid Caliphate’s rule. Information collection is descriptive-analytical and comparative, and involves collecting library documents and texts. Examining the formal, spatial, and structural relationships between Iranian and Abbasid palaces reveals strong inter-architectural connections in their intercultural context. With the influence of Iranian culture in the Abbasid court due to the presence of Iranians in all military and national affairs and the effort to strengthen, continue, and make their social and cultural traditions effective, this relationship has not stopped at one level. It is not a relationship solely through form and collage, but a broader relationship through common concepts between a network of works, so that the depth of the themes of the work has expanded. For example, we can mention the ritual and ceremonial ceremonies in the Abbasid court, reflected in architectural spaces. In the organization of palaces such as Qasr al-Zahab, Jusaq Khaqani, Jafari Palace, and Belkoura, we witness indirect and hierarchical spaces and accesses for public and special ceremonies, the presentation of the army, and the curtain ceremony, modeled after Iranian architecture. The history goes back to Pasargadae and Persepolis. We witness the continuation of these architectural patterns in Sassanid palaces, including the Palace of Khosrow in Qasr Shirin and the Palace of Ctesiphon near Baghdad, the capital of the Abbasids, which could have been a good example for modeling in organizing the plan of the Abbasid palaces.
The architectural design of the public doors in the palaces—Jawsaq al-Khaqani, Jafari, and Belkhoura—serves as an entrance hall similar to those found in Iranian government-residential gardens, functioning as courts and administrative spaces. This style can be compared to the facade of the Kasra Arch in Ctesiphon and the Sarvestan Palace. The cross-shaped throne hall with a combination of dome and porch, often placed in the central core of the palace with a perspective and a facade, is also a sign of precisely simultaneous and graded emphases that were closely related to the spatial hierarchy of the palace, which had a long history in ancient Iran and somehow emphasized the position of the caliphate of the king over his subjects. Iranian examples of this are the Palace of Khosrow in Qasr-e-Shirin and the Palace of Damghan, repeated in the organization of the Abbasid palaces: Qasr-al-Zahab, Jawsaq al-Khaqani, Jafari Palace, and Belkoura. Patterns of ancient Iranian ritual symbols, including the placement of a water basin at the entrance to ritual and public buildings such as the Palace of Khosrow, the Palace of Bishapur, and the Palace of Ctesiphon, can be seen in the palaces of Jusaq Khaqani, Jafari, and Belkoura. The use of ceremonial stairs and emphasis on the entrance, such as in Persepolis, Khosrow Palace in Qasr Shirin, and the use of three-span arches, such as in Damghan Palace and Khosrow Palace, as well as the proximity of residential and government palaces and their surrounding gardens and polo playing fields to fill the leisure time of the Arab caliphs in the style of the Iranian kings, also has a cultural origin that has been reflected in the architectural spaces of the palaces: Jawsaq al-Khaqani, Jafari, and Belkoura. These palaces largely extend the Sassanid palace design. Additionally, analysis of the gardens surrounding the aforementioned palaces reveals the presence of Persian-style four-garden layouts, which warrants further exploration in future research.