Iran and World’s Fairs: Paris 1867 to Dubai 2020

World exhibitions, or expos, are major international events that bring together countries from around the world and provide opportunities to enhance national prestige, strengthen identity, and increase global recognition. Beyond showcasing important social, economic, scientific, and cultural achievements, these events also serve as significant platforms for architectural expression. Through exhibition buildings and national pavilions, architects present innovative design ideas while representing their countries on an international stage. Although many of these structures are temporary, they often influence architectural development and become memorable landmarks. Their designs communicate a nation's cultural, economic, and technological strengths, reflect its vision for progress and the future, and promote architectural innovation and cultural exchange among participating countries. The book Iran and World's Fairs examines Iran's participation and role in world and specialized exhibitions. It focuses on the architecture of Iran's national pavilions, highlighting their design, characteristics, and significance within these international events. The book also analyzes how Iran has been represented and perceived at different exhibitions over time, emphasizing changes in its cultural, architectural, and national image. Through this discussion, it offers a broader understanding of Iran's presence in the history of international exhibitions. The book is divided into three chapters, each exploring a different aspect of Iran's involvement in world and specialized fairs. The first chapter, titled "The History of World Expositions," reviews the development of world exhibitions. It begins with the 1851 London Exhibition and follows the changes in these events up to the 2020 Dubai Exposition. The chapter clearly explains the main features and key aspects of each exhibition to help readers understand their importance. The second chapter, "World Expositions and the Written Literature of Iranians," studies how Iranians first became familiar with the West during the Qajar period in the nineteenth century. It also examines the writings of later Iranian authors. Through these texts, the chapter explores how Iranians have understood and interpreted world exhibitions, showing how these views have changed over time. The final chapter, titled "Iran in World's Fairs and Expositions," focuses on Iran's participation in these events. It analyzes 33 exhibitions held between 1867 and 2020 in which Iran officially took part. Each case is studied with special attention to the design of Iran's pavilions and internal pavilions. Although Iran did not officially participate in the 1851 London Exhibition, it is still discussed because it was the first modern international exhibition and included a section named "Iran." Therefore, it is treated as an important case study in this chapter.