Journal of Studies on Iranian Islamic City
Year:2011 | Volume:2 | Issue:5|Papers Count:10

In recent decades and with deep structural and social transformations of cities, Bazaar as the socio-economic source of Iranian traditional city has undergone considerable changes. In most cases, bazaar has changed from a moving center with a strong centrality into a relatively marginal element in particular in connection withy the urban performance. In other words, a main part of it has been facing with the fall of socio-economic and structural fall of values. This has made a noticeable part of bazaar in particular the sideline elements and those separated from the main route to encounter with recession and annihilation. Relying on library studies, field studies and comparative study of maps, the present article is an attempt to study the changes in the structure of bazaar of Kermanshah city and the factors affecting these changes. The historical city of Kermanshah has always had an important commercial status with regard to its position and has had a thriving state bazaar. According to the existing documents, Kermanshah bazaar was at the climax of glory at the end of Qajar period. After that period, taking into consideration the speedy urban growth and the increasing trend of renovation, bazaar like other urban elements and components experienced deep changes and faded to a great extent from the viewpoint of function and structure. In general, the main reason for these changes can be sought in change in methods of production and consumption, contemporary renovation and modernism, arrival of cars and new street branching, new urban planning and change in the role and performance of Kermanshah city.

One of the characteristics of Muslims’ Architecture is to use balance in the total building and its components and also to find methods to achieve justice in architecture. The entity has been laid down by a capable creator who has established balance and justice among all creatures as a source of relaxation. Since human is the Vicegerent of Allah on the earth, the condition for such a vicegerency is the commitment of vicegerent to act and practice divine features. In a not long past, balance was vivid in the works of Muslim architects and this used to bring relaxation for the inhabitants and those using these architectural units and spaces. This article is pursing to find the indicators of balance in the whole unit and its components in Muslims’ architecture which had been able to create such a valuable architecture. Using case research and combinational approaches, and while reviewing the literature of the topic, the present article analyzes the effective components in the creation of balance in The building of Jameh Mosque of Isfahan in Islamic periods. For this purpose, the main spaces of mosque have been studied and factors creating balance in these spaces have been stated. The effective indicators in the formation of balance in Muslims’ architecture can be considered in components such as symmetry, proportion and scale, hierarchy, rhythm, congruous and structure, static and natural decorations.

This article intends to study and analysis Karbandy designs used in the covered passageways of Tabriz traditional bazaar. The method of research is based on survey and a statistical society including 22 covered passageways of traditional bazaar of Tabriz. Five covered passageways have been removed from the statistical society because of lack of using Karbandy designs and general renovation of total design and sampling was made for the remaining 17 covered passageways. Due to the world registration of traditional bazaar of Tabriz and research studies on works of Iranian traditional architecture, such a kind of research seems to be essential. The results of this research indicate that the greatest rate of use of rectangular shape has been used in the design structure of Karbandy at covered passageways with shops. The number of sixteen sided Karbandys in different kinds are more than Karbandys of other sides. In the door head of covered passageway, mainly the half-Karbandys of 20 sides have been used. Of other Karbandys with the structures of 6, 8, 10.12, 14, 20, 24 and 28, at least one sample has been employed. However, in each two covered passageways, no similar design has been used.

Dealing with the methods of constructing a dome, knowing its various types, studying its structural performance, methods of drawing, styles, executive methods and related issue to it has always been preoccupations of Iranian architects. Amid these, the architecture of pineapple dome which is one of the features of mausoleum buildings in the southern part of Iran has not been given sufficient attention and there is a little data on it in the history of Iranian architecture. In this research the semantic and etymological meaning of pineapple dome has been discussed and the origin of the architecture of this type of dome dates back to Saljuk period. Then the geometrical relations among its saddles has been analyzed and various kinds of this dome including Koukabi (star dome) and polygon have been drawn. Studying the species of present samples in Iran and Iraq, noticeable points were evaluated on geometrical relations, height, form of dome and number of its saddles. Factors such as the performance of apex, method of construction, cover of dome, method of distribution of weight in the structure of the dome have been specified. Lastly, we will come to this conclusion that the main reason for its existence is a symbolic performance and not a pure religious symbol, because independently or in association and integration with religious spaces in the course of time, it has had an effective and pragmatic role. The research methodology in this research is of descriptive-analytical research type. Also based on need, in different parts of research, comparative analysis, retrospective studies and field work studies have been used. based on possibilities and opportunities, limits and threats, the article presents certain strategies to recreate sustainability.

Renovation of deteriorated textures in Iranian cities, demands familiarization with different methods and models. Using the theory of originality which emphasizes on replacement of middle to upper class with the poor people for the promotion of life, is one of the approaches which can be tested in line with the urban renovation in Iran. The main goal of the present research is to study the effects of the theory of originality with an emphasize on the effects of population replacement in Tehran to respond to this question: What are the possible effects of renovation of deteriorated textures of Tehran in the neighboring regions and other regions of the city with regard to the theory of originality? In order to respond to this question, one of the districts located in the zone 13 of Tehran, i.e. Moftabad was studied through field work studies and questioning the inhabitants. The findings indicate that the renovation of deteriorated textures of the city, with the help of theory of originality may remove the problem of deteriorated texture of a spot in a city, but the distribution of poor population in a city can lead to re-creation of similar spaces in its other regions.

The Iranian- Islamic model of old cities in the past has taken shape based on two main factors. Taking into consideration the economic effectiveness, social dynamism and cultural enhancement along with slight environmental damages, these cities have developed the shape of a sustainable cities to some extent. However in such sets of cities, concepts such as the rights of city and citizenship have been ignored due to the establishment of non-democratic and non-Islamic governments. Tehran city in recent years (in particular from the period of Pahlavi government) on wards, because of centralization of services has been facing the speedy growth of population and following that the increasing number of immigrants. Some of the outcomes of this irregular expansion can be observed in the increase and density of building masses and units made by humans and consequently the overcome of artificial products on unique natural scene and digestion of historical and natural valuable elements. The non-integrated development of Tehran in this change, the trend of recent years and inharmonious growth of some components in particular economic components, the emergence and intensification of social damages and thriving state of a model of architecture without identity (without considering the necessity of recreation of factors effective on the previous attraction of Tehran) have directed this city towards unsustainable status. Amid this, the recreation of lost natural elements in particular inside city river valleys play a basic role in line with sustainable position of green infrastructure in the city structure and equipping them with collective life. The present article studies the river valley of Maghsoud Beik as one of the ecological organs of Tehran. Conducting field studies and reviewing documents and based on possibilities and opportunities, limits and threats, the article presents certain strategies to recreate sustainability.

Housing indicates the establishment of a meaningful link between human and assumed environment resulting from an effort to find identity (feel belonging to a place). Human understands himself/herself, when he/she resides and stabilizes his/her own existence. So, the concept of housing has been one of the preoccupations of thinkers in the course of history. With an aim to study the structure of concepts of housing and house from the views of thinkers and the viewpoint of the holy Qu-ran, this article has been developed. The research methodology is of the descriptive-analytic type and research has been conducted by selecting traditional samples of housing in the warm and dried climates of Iran. In the traditional housing at warm and dry areas of Iran, with regard to the hard and intolerable climate, efforts have been made to create proper living conditions in addition to paying attention to spiritual concepts. The data collection method is of the type of library by studying the documents, field work through observing traditional houses in the warm and dry climate and finally by drawing their analytical diagrams. The results of the research show that the traditional housing is mixed with human to respond to the ideal institution. So, the traditional-Islamic housing can not be only described from the skeletal, geometrical and shape aspects, but the meaning beyond it is of a greater importance. These meanings have been stated at the end of the article as a model for the construction of contemporary ideal housing.

Considering different interpretation of an Islamic city and urban development, the study of the character of an Islamic city can be effective in analyzing Islamic urban development. The concept of Islamic city which has been used by orientalists is based on this assumption that Islam is a comprehensive value system and determines all models and behaviors of a social organization. Relying on descriptive-analytical method, reviewing texts, sources and illustrated documents, this article is an attempt to study the character of an Islamic city. Explaining the features which are necessary to understand any phenomenon, the present article tries to deduct the characteristics of an Islamic city. Elaborating the establishment and development of an Islamic city and factors affecting on its formation, the article studies the urban physical nature. In line with this ideal, the physical components (fixed components) of Islamic cities have been reviewed. In addition to the study of physical structure, the method of forms and shapes of Islamic cities have been noticed which are of importance in analyzing the character of Islamic cities. Furthermore, talking into consideration all urban living aspects, the impact of Islam on the way of life and identity of the inhabitants of city has been studied. The results of this article indicate that the term of Islamic city indicates the specific cultural, social and historical identity of its inhabitants. The physical space of most of Islamic cities is under the influence of its territorial and geographical features which confirm a common spirit resulting from divine schools of thought. The continuation of historical and primary course is a strategy which can help with the re-flourishing state of concepts such as the concept of Islamic city.