DOMES is an exploration of the shared architectural legacy between Italy and Iran. Specifically, this project details the transmission of architectural knowledge across the Silk Road from Persia to medieval Italy during the fourteenth century. Utilizing an innovative research methodology and in collaboration with the School of Architecture of the University of Teheran, DOMES aims to overcome traditional classification of architectural history based on the linear evolution and comparison of styles and forms, to promote a more comprehensive account of the history of construction, based on the material understanding of site-specific traditions. DOMES focuses on the transmission of two types of architectural knowledge: technical knowledge (the technological knowledge of building double-shell brick domes originally transferred from Iran to Italy during the Middle Ages) and preservationist knowledge (the historical exchange of Italian architectural
restorers and Iranian preservationists on the same double-shell brick dome monuments during the 1960-70s). Through the combination of the study of unpublished archival documents in Tehran and the on-site analysis of the restorations carried out on monuments, DOMES will provide an innovative example of medieval global architectural history and will narrate the transfer of preservation knowledge from Italy to Iran.