پلکان

Traditional Iranian houses centered on a courtyard, not a staircase, so the architectural drama of grand staircases is more European than Persian. Where پلکان appears with weight, it is usually in mosques (the staircase up to the منبر, minbar, the preaching pulpit, is a پلکان), public buildings, and old multi-story merchant houses in cities like Yazd and Kashan. The word also appears metaphorically: پلکان ترقی (pelekân-e taraqqi, "staircase of progress") is a journalistic cliche for upward mobility, and you will hear it on news talk shows. The pure Persian roots make پلکان feel slightly older and more elegant than its everyday counterpart, which is why writers reach for it.