Ustad Ali Maryam was a famous architect ("mimar") of 19th century Persia.
He is famous for designing three edifices in particular, all in Kashan:
- The Borujerdi-ha House (1857)
- The Tabatabaei House (1840s)
- Timcheh Amin-al Dowleh (pictured)
The name "ustad" means master in Persian. The name "Maryam" he picked up when Ustad Ali built a beautiful house for a woman by the name "Maryam" in Kashan.
It is written that Ustad Ali Maryam would build maquette models of the buildings he would build.
The house of Borujerdi-ha alone took 18 years to build. It was built for the bride of the Borujerdi-ha family, who came from the affluent Tabatabaei family, whom Ustad Ali had built their house some years earlier.
The Timcheh amin-al dowleh (built in 1863) was commissioned by Amin al-dowleh, a royal Qajarid politician, and is located in the Kashan Bazaar, where Persian rugs are still sold and traded. Ustad Ali also built a house and caravanserai for Amin al-Dowleh.
Famous quotes containing the word ali:
“That was always the difference between Muhammad Ali and the rest of us. He came, he saw, and if he didn’t entirely conquer—he came as close as anybody we are likely to see in the lifetime of this doomed generation.”
—Hunter S. Thompson (b. 1939)