Imagined Histories: Conceptions of my Zoroastrian Homeland from a Diasporic Perspective

Abstract

I migrated to Aotearoa as a child from Mumbai, India with my parents and younger sister. My great grandfather too, had journeyed with his family, from Gujarat to Mumbai. Generations before him, my Zoroastrian ancestors had left Ancient Iran for the shores of Gujarat, to avoid religious persecution. They left behind their palaces, gardens, temples, and texts that were fated for destruction, taking with them only the symbolic fire they worshipped, so that they may one day re-establish it in their new homeland. I have become more aware of these past cultural lives running in my veins during my architectural studies. In this thesis, I explore the lost history of the Zoroastrian people who were forced to flee their homeland of Ancient Iran. It focuses on a country that has seen many waves of religious and cultural oppression, resulting in mass emigration and acculturation. The thesis amplifies the importance of culture in shaping and articulating a migrant’s identity and sense of belonging. It challenges the notion that culture is bound by its country of origin. Instead, this thesis argues for a condition where culture can be carried forward, within the vessels it once thrived in - the enclosed gardens, the underground water galleries, the fire temples. This thesis’s prime motivation is to identify architecture’s role in igniting a sense of cultural belonging. Rooted in Aotearoa New Zealand, the project imagines a re-construction of Iranian conceptions in the Botanic Gardens of Manurewa. I wanted to shine a light on Iran’s rich history and what is at stake culturally for its people who have voluntarily or involuntarily migrated. Architecture here functions as an instrument for re-kindling and experiencing the culture of the lost homeland. It assembles fragments of these histories into engaging spatial and sensory expressions. The act of journeying is inherent to shaping the proposal, taking precedent from the dynamic history of Zoroastrian exile and migration. It presents an imagining of how architecture can help the Zoroastrians living in this new country reconnect with their culture in a manifest way. ‘How can architecture help bring to life and create a place for an ancient cultural identity in a new homeland?’