Journal of Researches in Islamic Architecture
Year:2023 | Volume:11 | Issue:4 (پیاپی 41)|Papers Count:9

The construction of schools has a long history in Iran. But with the evolution of Islamic civilization and the development of literature and other sciences, it was not possible to be content with the circles of mosques where scattered debates took place. Therefore, the establishment of certain centers for this purpose seemed necessary. An institution in which higher education and traditional Islamic sciences such as hadith, commentary, jurisprudence and the like are established. Among the Islamic nations, the first people to feel this need were the Iranians, who for some time built simple, uninhabited schools, libraries, and the like, and then fully equipped schools such as the military. The city of Isfahan is one of the centers of Iranian architecture, which is known as Dar-ul-Alam Shargh, and the construction of religious schools next to its mosques began during the Al-Buwayh and Al-Ziyar periods. But over time, some of them have been lost or their faces have changed and no written information about the condition of their spaces is available. Previous studies on schools can be divided into several areas. Part of it is physical and functional analysis, other categories are typology and in the last part, studies have a historical aspect. According to studies, less research can be observed in the field of historical schools that has divided the functional structure of school spaces. Therefore, in this article, for the first time, by analyzing the functional characteristics, the historical schools of Isfahan have been analyzed. Leading research seeks to answer these questions: What are the most significant criteria in the plan of historical schools in Isfahan, which are included in the functional structure of their plan? And how can these criteria be examined in the micro-spaces of these schools? By answering these questions, one can recognize a part of the architectural identity of historical schools in Isfahan and reveal many meaningful repetitive principles and concepts in these uses. This research is fundamental in terms of what is qualitative and based on purpose. It also studies the samples with an analytical-descriptive approach. The present study is non-experimental in terms of data collection and retrospective in terms of time element. To achieve the objectives of this research, data collection has been obtained through library studies and field methods (plan capture, etc.). The tools used include manual meters and laser meters, as well as video documentation tools including photography. The statistical population of this study includes more mosque-schools (Rahim Khan, Sayyid, Rokna Al-Molk and Hakim) and some mosques such as Abbasi Mosque and Jame Mosque, which have Sulaimaniyah, Nasiri and Mozaffariyeh schools next to them, respectively. Of 23 pieces. Now, in order to provide a suitable measurement for the analysis, the seven mentioned samples have been removed from the statistical population. The samples are purposefully selected and correspond to the eighth to fourteenth centuries AH and their number is 16. The samples in this study are analyzed based on the five criteria mentioned and based on each criterion, different plan structures are presented in the form of tables. Data collection is based on authors' library and field studies. During this research, the criteria of the structural index of the plan of historical schools in Isfahan have been determined. These five index criteria that identify the commonalities and differences in the samples include, spatial diversity (outdoor, semi-open and closed), uses in schools and functions of different parts of the building (educational, Residential, prayer, cultural), building circulation (entrance device circulation, access to cells, access to prayer space in schools with prayer space and domes and movement circulation in the corners of the central courtyard), location and form of the device Stairs include, joining and enclosing the building and finally the type of space system (central-axial). These five criteria have created a different functional and spatial structure in the school plans of this city. These five criteria can be examined in different sections in such a way that in the analysis of spatial diversity, most of the samples have various open and semi-open spaces (in terms of multiplicity) that are formed with the center of the central courtyard. Also, the study of the place of prayer space in schools has placed them in three general categories. On the other hand, he pointed out that in schools attributed to the Safavid period onwards, the use of prayer has a special space, which before this use was shared with other uses in school spaces. Analyzes of the circulation criterion revealed that differences could be observed in different areas and sections of schools. On the other hand, access to the upper floors in the samples is done only with a stair device enclosed in the building. The stairwell is usually located next to the porches. This research can also provide an approach for other researchers to study buildings with similar uses, such as caravanserais.

In recent decades, following changes in various social, cultural, economic and political fields, various types of housing have been formed. In this regard, social housing is one of the forms of responding to housing needs. Social housing is a housing that prevents the formation of social harms and creates social cohesion in the society with the possibility of mixing. Due to the fact that in Iran, the design of this type of housing proceeds with a comprehensive view, it seems necessary to realize housing with a semantic approach, due to the increasing expansion of low-quality settlements in cities, so that in such settlements it can be designed spaces according to human needs. The purpose of this article is to return to the concept of residence and explain its hidden dimensions in social housing with a semantic approach and in order to achieve design policies in order to improve the quality of this type of housing. This article is done with a qualitative approach and qualitative content analysis method in the field of architecture. Data have been collected using the consensus of three methods (library studies, observation and interview). Next, the obtained data were analyzed in the MAXQDA20 software environment, then using coding, the data were converted into concepts, categories, and then into aspects. According to the studies, four aspects including physical-structural, social-cultural, perceptual-aesthetic and environmental are the hidden aspects of living in social housing, each of which refers to a meaning of human needs. In this way, when a person can settle in a place in the real sense, that place is beyond the attention to the quantitative aspect, a representation of the attention to the aspects of his existence, which is the physical-spiritual, social, spiritual and psychological aspect, to all aspects. to meet his various needs

The environment around people can affect the formation of their behavior. If the environment does not play the desired role, a part of the chain of moral guidance of the individual and consequently the society will be disturbed. The question of this research is about what are the physical characteristics of the environment that supports ethical behavior. The purpose of the research is to provide physical examples for the environment that can provide a suitable platform for moral actions from the perspective of Islamic thought. This research has been done with qualitative approach and analytical descriptive method and using library resources. In order to answer the research question, the nature of behavior and types of ethical behavior were investigated first. Then the influencing factors on behavior were studied, one of which was the surrounding environment. After that, theories related to how the environment affects behavior were discussed. By examining the environment at three perceptual, behavioral, and physical levels, some of the moral orders found in religious sources at two perceptual and behavioral levels, under the title of religious anthropology and religious sociology, were identified and the factors causing disruption in these orders were identified. Finally, relying on the enabling nature of the environment and the theory of The Holistic Sacredness of Space, physical examples related to each of the perceptual and behavioral parts of the environment were presented in public spaces. With the realization of the physical characteristics presented regarding each of the levels of the environment, we can hope that the environment will become a platform for moral affairs.

Water has a vital role in human life, as the source and symbol of life, particularly in the Islamic community. Poor management of water resources in recent decades has posed a serious threat to the physical aspect of life in Islamic countries, which are predominantly located in dry regions. Moreover, the weakness of functional and symbolic position of water in Islamic-Iranian architecture has been the consequence of this situation. Water have a tangible and essential role not only in the physical aspect of human life (external world), it is also closely connected with the spiritual aspect of life (inner world), assisting individuals in stages of felicity (sa'adah) and perfection (kamal) according to transcendent theosophy. With its richness linked with spiritual, sacred, and mystical manifestations, Islamic architecture represents water both in its external world (zahir) and inner world (batin). In terms of the former,issue water unites with the real space for the purposes of balancing and regulating the climate conditions; in terms of the latter, issue it merges with the sacred atmosphere of the architecture. Therefore, water is one of the most valuable, universal, and structural elements of Islamic architecture. In Mulla Sadra’s view, water can be considered as one of the symbolic cores of perfecting motion of life with regard to his doctrine of substantial motion. The Holy Quran mentions different forms of the role of water in witnessing and being of humanities more than 63 times. The manifestations of such intuitive quantitative instances were studied based on the stages of Sadrai perception, namely the sensory, the imaginary, and the intellectual. As shown in the theoretical framework, this analysis revealed the generalizability of universal vital, sacred, biological, and technological values to architecture and urban spaces. Accordingly, beauty, vitality, and life in the general sense and life in the sense of becoming Godliness were the ultimate findings of studying the function of water in Islamic architecture.

In the last three decades, many studies have been done in the design process. In some of these studies, there is a psychological or philosophical view. In Iran, there are few examples of a philosophical approach to the design process. One of the important attitudes in global and Iranian attitudes, which also has a strong philosophical root in Western thought; The attitude is Dualism. This research tries to clarify the influence of Mulla Sadra's philosophy in the design process. This research has a practical purpose. This research wants to provide designers with results compatible with philosophical foundations. Argumentative-analytical research method is based on philosophical rules. This research first has an overview of architectural design processes. The components obtained from these processes are these doubles: "implicit knowledge-scientific knowledge"; "Unconsciousness - self-awareness"; "divergence-convergence"; "Black box-transparent box" and "normative-proof theories". Each of these duals has an important role in the formation of the design process. These doubles are formed under the philosophical theories of structuralism or deconstruction and with the older roots of Hegelian dialectics; Sometimes psychological views such as "conscious" and "unconscious" play a role in them. The current research defines all doubles with two components: "simultaneous birth of part and whole from within each other"; This definition is obtained from Mulla Sadra's Basit al-Haqiqa rule. The result of the research is: the part-whole duality is the product of the experiences of the first to third generation of the design process. Each part of this dual is used in different parts of the design; So both parts can be used in the design process. Based on this, each architectural component in each part of the design stages can be examined from two different aspects and can be effective on architectural design processes: 1- It looks at itself from the aspect that is a part and is in plurality; 2- From that aspect which is the whole, it looks beyond itself (to its simple self) and is in unity. The innovation of this research is the navigation of the definition of "whole from part" and "part from whole" which probably creates necessary and valuable paths for the design process. It can be a comprehensive look between three generations of architectural design process and define the fourth generation.

Understanding, comprehension and sensory reception of the human being, from the architectural implications, undergo changes by getting far and closer to the architectural works. It is necessary to pay attention to this issue in pilgrimage architecture due to the importance of feeling responses at different distances.This research answers these questions: 1- What effect does the change of scale have on the decline of pilgrimage architectural meanings such as "Grandeur" and "intimacy"? 2- What changes do people's feeling responses undergo at different stages of approaching a pilgrimage site? The purpose of this research is to investigate the two implications of Grandeur and Intimacy in pilgrimage buildings and how it is perceived by the visitor at different distances of the building, including the stages of seeing, crossing the threshold and touching the building in the center. In this research, a mixed approach was chosen and qualitative content analysis was used, followed by exploratory factor analysis in SPSS software and confirmatory factor analysis in AMOS software. For this purpose, the individual's "distance" variable was considered as an independent variable, and "intimacy" and " Grandeur" were considered as dependent variables. 19 items in the questionnaire were compiled using the intervention method and by manipulating the scale and size of the images and provided to 229 subjects. For ease of answering, one building was evaluated in each question. Further, exploratory factor analysis led to the discovery of 4 components, which were proved by confirmatory factor analysis. The findings of the research show that there is a significant relationship between visibility and Grandeur on the one hand and centrality and intimacy on the other hand. The standard factor loadings of the items of each factor are more than 0.4. Considering the significance of the items in their factor for all the variables of the research, it is concluded that by changing the scale in a desirable range from " Dominant scale" to "intimate scale", the person's preference is transformed from grandeur to intimacy. No matter how much in the stage of vision and desirability of grandeur, we witness a direct relationship with the same slope, the pleasantness of the proportional relationship and intimacy does not have such a constant rhythm and harmony, and too closeness to the sacred matter has an avoidance feature for the pilgrim.

The housing debate has dimensions beyond just shelter, and among these dimensions, the social dimension is considered a measure of the growth of any society. One of the factors of the social dimension is the amount and type of social interactions among the residents of that society. However, in new constructions, less attention is paid to the social dimension. By studying in this area, the importance of allocating a suitable space for the interaction of the residents of the complex, especially the open and semi-open space, is determined. The purpose of this research is to extract and identify the criteria of semi-open space effective on social interactions. In the step of reviewing the literature, using the descriptive-analytical method, to identify frequently repeated criteria with high impact capacity that considered both semi-open space and social interactions. Then, using the method of logical independence and comparative analogy, the criteria that exist separately in interactions or semi-open space were examined and their commonalities were identified as new criteria, and the frequency of all criteria was obtained through content analysis. Then, by using the Shannon entropy technique, all 34 criteria were measured and the main and most important criteria were obtained, among which the criteria for the provision of the territory of space provision related to the new criteria were identified.

In the noble verses of the Quran and the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and the Imams, multiple references have been made to places of worship, education, and residence. On the other hand, religious texts have extensively discussed light and its concepts. Architecture has long been a manifestation of sublime human emotions and a platform for the realization of human excellence. It creates a perceptible space that leads individuals to contemplation. Therefore, this article focuses on the assessment of daylight in the combined pattern of mosque-school-residential buildings, in one of its exceptional case studies, the Mansouriye Traditional Seminary in Shiraz. Daylight was evaluated based on indicators of illuminance, daylight factor, and light penetration depth on the first day of 22 December from 8 AM to 5 PM. The data for each component was collected in the selected southeast direction of worship, educational, and residential spaces using measurement methods (lux meter device), numerical calculations (Olgy formula), and geometric calculations. The data was then analyzed using two quantitative comparative methods with the standard of LED and the Iranian Lighting Design Association, and a qualitative analysis method. The results indicate satisfactory utilization of daylight in the studied space within the functional time frame of Islamic-Iranian architecture. The illuminance intensity in the mosque does not meet the standard. However, this indicator ranges from 200 to 500 lux in the school and from 150 to 500 lux in the room, aligning with the specified standards. The daylight factor in the place of worship does not have the standard, while it ranges from 2 to 5 percent in the school and in the room until 11 AM remain within the standard.

This article marks the outset of a comprehensive series dedicated to evaluating architectural works in Iran and across the world through the lens of Islamic principles, with the ultimate objective of producing a scholarly book on the subject matter. Specifically, the initial phase of this article delves into the influence of cultural deviations on the architectural design of temples and places of worship from an Islamic perspective. The discourse commences with an introduction encompassing the categorization of divine and non-divine architectural schools, followed by an exploration of the reasons and justifications for evaluating architectural works worldwide within the framework of Islamic culture. In addition, the concept of prayer, characterized by its authenticity, formative nature, evolutionary potential, and optional aspects, is expounded upon to establish criteria for identifying suitable and preferred locations for prayer. Subsequently, the article examines various profound elements within architecture, including spatial and geometric concepts, appropriate and inappropriate embellishments, semantic and symbolic styles, as well as the integration of shrines within cultural and climatic contexts. To substantiate these principles, the evaluation extends to authentic mosques from Iran's Islamic era, featuring notable examples such as the transformation of the four-arch fire temple into the Izadkhast Mosque, the Jame'a Mosque of Isfahan, and the Imam Mosque of Isfahan. Additionally, non-authentic and heretical mosques before and after the Islamic Revolution in Iran are assessed, with notable cases including the Al-Javad Mosque, University of Tehran Mosque, Al-Ghadir Mosque, Tehran Carpet Museum Prayer Hall, Valiasr Mosque in the south of Daneshjoo Park (both its old and new designs), and the Imam Khomeini Mosalla. Employing a holistic and comprehensive research methodology anchored in Islamic sources and foundations, this study adopts a combined qualitative and quantitative approach, considering the causal relationship between ideas and phenomena. The infallible sources of this research are the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Infallible Prophets, while fallible sources encompass individual reasoning and the consensus of experts. The validity of rational propositions is substantiated through logical reasoning, while narrative propositions are supported through the interpretation of authentic sources. The findings of this research unequivocally demonstrate how belief systems and cultural deviations exert unfavorable and inappropriate effects on the religious practices, behavior, and rituals of worshipers, ultimately impacting the intricate and overarching structure of prayer halls.