Fariborz Sahba (, born 1948

Mashhad Mashhad ( ; ), historically also known as Mashad, Meshhed, or Meshed in English, is the List of Iranian cities by population, second-most-populous city in Iran, located in the relatively remote north-east of the country about from Tehran. ...

) is an

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

ian-American architect, living between

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and the United States.

Education

Sahba has a master's degree from the Faculty of Fine Arts from the

University of Tehran The University of Tehran (UT) or Tehran University (, ) is a public collegiate university in Iran, and the oldest and most prominent Iranian university located in Tehran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as ...

. In an interview with Mithaq Kazimi, he has stated that, at a very early age, he was encouraged by his mother to be an architect.

Career

In Iran, Sahba has been involved in the design of a wide range of prestigious buildings, including: *The New Town of Mahshahr– South-Western Iran *The Pahlavi Cultural Center – Sanandaj, Iran *The School of Art – Sanandaj, Iran *

Baháʼí House of Worship A Baháʼí House of Worship or Baháʼí temple is a place of worship of the Baháʼí Faith. It is also referred to by the name ''Mashriqu'l-Adhkár'', which is Arabic for "Dawning-place of the remembrance of God". All Baháʼí Houses of Wo ...

– New Delhi, India *

Terraces (Baháʼí) The Baháʼí Terraces, or the Hanging Gardens of Haifa, are garden terraces on Mount Carmel in Haifa, and one of the most popular tourist destinations in Israel. Completed in 2001, there are 19 terraces and more than 1,500 steps ascending the mo ...

– Haifa, Israel

Baháʼí House of Worship in New Delhi, India

In 1976, the international governing body of the

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion, essential worth of all religions and Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity, the unity of all people. Established by ...

community selected Sahba to design the Baháʼí House of Worship for the Indian subcontinent in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. This project, on which he worked for 10 years as the architect and project manager, was described by Canadian architect

Arthur Erickson Arthur Charles Erickson (June 14, 1924 – May 20, 2009) was a Canadian architect and urban planning, urban planner. He studied at the University of British Columbia and, in 1950, received his B.Arch. (Honours) from McGill University. He is kn ...

as "one of the most remarkable achievements of our time, proving that the drive and vision of spirit can achieve miracles." With over 3.5 million visitors a year, this building, commonly known as the "

Lotus Temple The Lotus Temple is a Baháʼí House of Worship in Kalkaji, New Delhi, Delhi, India. It was completed in December 1986. Notable for its lotus-like shape, it has become a prominent attraction in the city. Like all Bahá’í Houses of Worshi ...

," is one of the most visited sites in the world.

The Terraces of the Shrine of the Báb

In 1987, Sahba was assigned by the

Baháʼí World Centre The Baháʼí World Centre is the name given to the spiritual and administrative centre of the Baháʼí Faith, representing sites in or near the cities of Acre and Haifa, Israel. Much of the international governance and coordination of the ...

the task of designing 18 terraces as a majestic approach to the Shrine of the Báb, the martyred Herald of the Baháʼí faith, one of the most holy places of the Baháʼí faith. He was also appointed project manager to execute the Baháʼí World Centre building projects on

Mount Carmel Mount Carmel (; ), also known in Arabic as Mount Mar Elias (; ), is a coastal mountain range in northern Israel stretching from the Mediterranean Sea towards the southeast. The range is a UNESCO biosphere reserve. A number of towns are situat ...

. The Terraces of the Shrine of the Báb received the 1998 Ephraim Lifshitz Award from the Municipality of

Haifa Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the List of cities in Israel, third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area i ...

and the 1999 Magshim Award from the Council for a Beautiful

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

Awards

Sahba has received many international awards, among them the First Honor Award in 1987 for "Excellence in Architecture" from the Interfaith Forum on Religion, Art, and Architecture, an affiliate of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...

. Articles about his work have been published in almost 400 magazines and newspapers throughout the world. In 1987 the

Institution of Structural Engineers The Institution of Structural Engineers is a British professional body for structural engineers. In 2021, it had 29,900 members operating in 112 countries. It provides professional accreditation and publishes a magazine, '' The Structural Eng ...

of the United Kingdom granted a special award to the Baháʼí Temple in India, with a citation: "a building so emulating the beauty of a flower and so striking in its visual impact." He has also received the Paul Waterbury Outdoor Lighting Design Award from the

Illuminating Engineering Society of North America The Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), is an industry-backed, not-for-profit, learned society that was founded in New York City on January 10, 1906. The IES's stated mission is "to improve the lighted environment by bringing together thos ...

in June 1988. In 1990, Bahaʼi House of Worship of India was recognized by the

American Concrete Institute The American Concrete Institute (ACI, formerly National Association of Cement Users or NACU) is a non-profit technical society and standards developing organization. ACI was founded in January 1905 during a convention in Indianapolis. The Institu ...

as "One of the finest concrete structures of the world". In 2000, the GlobArt Academy of Vienna, Austria granted him the GlobArt Award, for "Overcoming religious barriers" and "promoting the unity and harmony of people of all nations and social strata, to an extent unsurpassed by any other architectural monument worldwide". Fariborz Sahba - A pencil sketch by Sarbjit Bahga

Fariborz Sahba - A pencil sketch by Sarbjit Bahga

Publications

Fariborz Sahba has written and published several books. He has lectured extensively on the topics of Art, Architecture, Project Management, Culture and Environment as an official guest speaker in universities, institutes of architects, professional international conferences and organizations all over the world, including the United States, Canada, Israel, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Japan, Malaysia, India, U.K., the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Austria, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Uganda and South Africa. In 1970 he founded a literary magazine for children called ''Varqá''. The magazine, which originally appeared in Persian, was later published in nine languages. He served as Editor-in-Chief of Varqa International Childrenʼ Magazine (ISSN 1708-7767), a bi-monthly magazine published in Canada up to 2006.

References

External links

The Architecture of Fariborz Sahba
by Eliza Rasiwala, Israel.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sahba, Fariborz Iranian architects Iranian emigrants to Canada Canadian architects Iranian Bahá'ís Canadian Bahá'ís People from Mashhad University of Tehran alumni 1948 births Living people 20th-century Bahá'ís 21st-century Bahá'ís