Athar
Year:2023 | Volume:6 | Issue:4|Papers Count:10

The hot and dry climate of central Iran is home to historic farmsteads from the early centuries of Islam up to the 13th century. In the course of recent studies, 42 types of farmsteads have been identified and documented around cities such as Qom, Isfahan, Kashan and Yazd. These farmsteads enjoy unique physical and functional capabilities and have formed a part of Iran's livelihood system and agricultural heritage. The moot point of the research is the lack of research about the shape characteristics and diverse forms of historical farmsteads. The research aims to get a deeper understanding of the historic farmsteads in the hot and dry climate of Iran, and to this end, two questions have been raised about the shape-forming elements and their classification. According to the findings, each farmstead has three zones on the scale of the zoning system: physical, agricultural, and customary. In terms of the distribution pattern and coexistence of forming elements, there are two patterns: linear and centralized, and in the scale of the variety of forming elements, farmsteads are divided into two categories: small and great. Accordingly, historical residential farmsteads in Iran can be divided into two ways: a) Agricultural castles with a centralized pattern and b) Agricultural complexes with a linear pattern. Most of the farmsteads identified in this climate have the form of "agricultural complexes with a linear pattern" and are significantly related to the historical period of their formation.

Tavana House is located in the corner of Shah-Abul-Qasim neighborhood and it is 150 meters away from the east side of Jame Mosque. This house is located in the dense residential context of the city. The building in question has an area of 410 square meters, it is a neighbor of Sandughsazha Maidan-Hosseiniyeh and adobe houses. In terms of architectural design, this house has a courtyard with unequal sides and the built spaces are located on both the west and south sides. There is a porch with a ruined arch and rooms next to it and spaces following each other in a linear order on the south side. Different components are placed in the house plan. In the national registry file and some other descriptions, the construction date of this house is attributed to the 8th century of Hijri. With the assumption that the building has undergone many changes and transformations over time, the question is "what were the architectural changes of the house and what were the features of the original building of the house"? The research method is "historical-analytical" and while examining and analyzing the existing evidence in the building, it is possible to understand the ambiguities by conducting comparative studies and analyzing the architectural evidence. The aim is to get a clear picture of the historical developments of the house. The plan of the house in the first period conforms to the pattern of the 8th century houses in Yazd. In its first form, the building had a porch with a small courtyard. The space of the missing eastern and northern parts of the house and the entrance system can be guessed. In the first plan, the north side had a short porch equal to the width of the south porch, and the east side could have been composed of two rows similar to the west side. The entrance was in the form of a corridor that had a ninety degree turn and entered the courtyard from the east side.

The connection between past and present architecture is always transformative. A transformation that can shape the identities of the contemporary and future eras, preserve architectural traditions, and bring out the aesthetic charms of monuments, buildings, and urban landscapes. The architectural heritage of each region has evolved and grown over time under the influence of the natural and built environment. This evolution has created a variety of architecture, as a result of which every city, region, neighborhood and even passage has its own unique characteristics. This variety, while being correlated and harmonized, represents the cultural and environmental identity of the cities. By extracting stable principles,which have formed the structure of historical architecture, morphology as an inspiring reference helps architects and urban planners to embody architectural traditions in creative ways in contemporary architecture without imitation.  The purpose of this research is to obtain the principles and patterns of historical architecture for use in the design of new architectural buildings with regard to their morphology. In this regard, the concepts of research and the morphological process of historical buildings are first explained by descriptive analytical method. In the next part, historical houses in the city of Rasht have been studied and analyzed as case study.  The findings show that paying attention to cultural heirarchy and identity that appear in spatial structures is important in the morphology of historical buildings, along with physical components. In the study of the form and physical characteristics and visual qualities, there was a significant relationship between the building in the area and its position in the context. Shape, proportion between elements and the overall form of the building, the level of occupation and number of floors of historical houses in Rasht have unique characteristics. The morphology of the spatial structures in the historical houses of Rasht showed that the relationship between the functional spaces in the interior spaces and its connection with the exterior space mainly occurs through semi-open spaces (Iwan). In addition to spatial transparency, this feature also causes visually richness of the exterior façade. The process of morphology in obtaining the principles and patterns of historical architecture can be considered in new designs.

The interventions made at Taq-i-Bostan offer a valuable case study for understanding the evolution of conservation and restoration practices in Iran. By analyzing the types of interventions and their characteristics, we can gain a better understanding of the works themselves and reveal their historical and cultural values, ultimately informing appropriate conservation and restoration decisions. Taq-i-Bostan, as one of the case examples in the study of  interventions in Iran’s historical sites, shares many similarities with interventions in other historical sites. In this descriptive-analytical research, the course of Taq-i-Bostan interventions has been examined and analyzed based on available documents and compared with international theories and concepts of conservation and restoration. The research found that some interventions at Taq-i-Bostan, like those of the Qajar period, led to the creation of a cultural landscape, while others were destructive. Some interventions, with a protective approach, revealed the values of the work over time. Protection interventions began in the first Pahlavi period and are still ongoing. However, the interventions of 2010 to 2016, despite claiming a conservation approach, caused the loss of historical evidence, cultural landscape, authenticity, and integrity of the work due to their disregard for the principles of conservation and restoration. This represents a misguided approach to the concept of “minimum intervention.” The results of this research highlight the necessity of having transparent theoretical foundations for interventions, based on theories, national and international documents on protection and restoration. Moreover, it emphasizes the importance of obtaining approval for these foundations before carrying out any executive actions.

Hassan Al-Padesha mosque, as one of the buildings of the Nasriyeh complex, had been one of the valuable buildings of the Sahib Abad square in connection with Darul-Masakin and the school. This building was destroyed under the influence of the earthquakes that occurred in Tabriz, and was rebuilt during the Safavid and Qajar periods. The discovery of bases in excavations and reading of historical sources has made it possible to study this building. The lack of attention paid to the geometric style of Turkmen architecture has caused the presented reconstructions to be far from the structural features of Turkmen architecture. Therefore, this research, relying on the method of comparative comparison, seeks to answer the following questions: What is the style of using geometry in the spatial structure of Turkmen architecture? What is the relationship between the structure of Gireh in Turkmen architecture and the surface of the architectural space? What is the relationship between the obtained structural style and the remained body of the Hassan Pasha Mosque to purpose of its imaginary recreation? Geometry has been a basic principle in the design of Turkmen period buildings, which in both two-dimensional and three-dimensional terms has indicated the three branches of structure, space, and surface, and the adaptation of the obtained body has been compatible with the style of the geometric structures of contemporary buildings. The spatial structure of the mosque was based on the structure of the main dome; which pillars were placed in an octagonal arrangement based on an orthogonal grid. The use of Gireh in the plinth and tympanum of the porch, sidewalls of the porch, and the base of the porch were made of an in the vault of the porch were based on six-pointed Gireh or a hexagonal grid, eight-pointed, Shah Gireh, ten-pointed Gireh.

The mosque is one of the important socio-cultural symbols in the Islamic Iran. One of the important mosques is Vakil mosques, where different designs have been used in the decoration of Haft Rang (seven-colored) tiles. The purpose is to investigate the impact of changes in socio-cultural perspectives of governments on the design of Haft Rang tile. What effect the socio-cultural perspective has had on the design of mosque designs and what is the nature of design changes in the Haft Rang tiles in these mosques? The research method is descriptive-analytical. The results show that the patterns in the seven-colored tile during the Zand period are influenced by the Zandi Ethnic-Illyrian view and are associated with simplicity and beauty. These patterns are drawn in an abstract way and have less variety in terms of design and color. In contrast, the designs in the Qajar period are influenced by the westernize perspective and are very colorful and rich, reflecting nature realistically. Repairs made in the Qajar period introduced this type of design and color to the Vakil Mosque, causing changes in the structure of Haft Rang tile designs. Therefore, it can be said that the difference in socio-cultural attitudes in different eras will have an important impact on changing artistic perspective.

Muqarnas is an architectural element often used in entrance porches, Iwans, squinches of domes, and other structures. It can be made from various materials such as brick, plaster, tile, or a combination of materials such as brick-tile or plaster-tile. During the Timurid and Turkomen (Torcoman) periods, intricate and artistic plaster muqarnas were created, on their horizontal/flat/panel surfaces decorated with tiles. This research not only showcases a number of buildings which enjoy plaster-tile muqarnas that belong to the periods mentioned above but also investigates and evaluates the location of muqarnas, types of motifs, inscriptions, execution and decoration techniques, and the color of tile glaze. This article also aims to find commonalities between the tile motifs found in plaster muqarnas and other tileworks from the periods in question. The research methodology is based on data gathering through field research and documentary resources. It uses an interpretative-historical approach to analyze the data obtained from the case studies. The results, obtained from the study of six buildings, indicate that this decorative method was only prevalent in a limited region of Iran, in the two provinces of Yazd and Fars, during the said period. All of the aforementioned tilework decorations were executed using a combined technique of Mo’araq (mosaic) and La‘āb-parān (glaze-removing), along with various vegetal, geometric, and inscription motifs. In terms of tile motifs, there are common features among the tile decorations of the periods under study including: multi-petaled flowers with each petal ending in a motif resembling a flower/bud/leaf, teardrop shapes, often executed using the La‘āb-parān technique and transformation of the central Kufic inscription into a knot pattern (eight-pointed geometric pattern).

Statement of the problem: Tile decorations are among the most important and common architectural elements in the Islamic era. Tilework flourished from the 14th century onwards. Notably, despite the introduction of Western decorative elements in Iranian art and architecture during the Qajar era, tilework remained widely used, demonstrating its special status. Given this significance, the conservation and restoration of such architectural decorative elements should be a high priority. However, a comprehensive set of guidelines for tilework conservation and restoration remains absent.Consequently, diverse approaches have been employed in tilework restoration projects. These approaches have sometimes led to serious errors, including misinterpreting context and design neglecting the color quality, symmetry as well as proportions and other aspects has led to grave mistakes. Aiming to understand the evolution of different tilework restoration approaches, this study critically reviews past restoration cases. It explores how traditional restoration approaches were implemented and what advantages current practices offer to avoid past mistakes.  This study focuses on the restoration of tilework in five diverse monuments with four different functions. The restoration activities undertaken are critically analyzed to reveal the architectural nature of the examined monuments. This research utilizes a qualitative-analytic methodology, with data collected through field studies and library resources. The study adopts a functional objective, and the results indicate that the primary factors leading to improper restoration include the lack of a formalized restoration guide, the neglect of conservation, restoration and aesthetics, ,inattention to vernacular culture as well as lack of appropriate understanding of the monuments by the restoration expert.

The variety of forms of tombstones in the Islamic era, along with their motifs and pictorial signs, reflects the beliefs and values of the deceased and their society. This diversity of form and role in the tombstones of the northwestern region of Iran is particularly rich due to the presence of more Seljuk, Ilkhanate, Qara Qoyunlu, Aq Qoyunlu, Safavids, compared to other regions. This research employs a descriptive-analytical and historical approach, using field and library studies, to answer the following questions: 1. What are the structures and corresponding historical periods of the tombstones found in Eastern Mokryan cemeteries? 2. How do the motifs used on the tombstones relate to the deceased individuals? 3. What symbols are present in the inscriptions on the tombstones of Eastern Mokryan and do the existing inscriptions have historical roots? The conducted studies reveal that these tombstones can be categorized into the following groups in terms of form: Mihrab design, elevated, stone ram, cradle or flat, box, Dome-shaped and simple. The form of tombstones, is influenced by both society and culture, as well as religious and sacred architecture. And the motifs hold specific symbolic meanings, shaped by the regional culture, beliefs, and the historical context of the time and place.

According to the latest census of Iran, between 43 and 45 percent of buildings are classified as masonry buildings, of which about one percent are historical-cultural buildings. Protecting these buildings against earthquakes is necessary and obligatory for future generations. To achieve this, analyzing and investigating the building is crucial to provide necessary and appropriate solutions to improve its performance level. The present study investigates the Sadaqiyani house located in the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning of the Islamic Arts University of Tabriz. First, by using non-destructive tests, including an in-situ test (double flat jack), the average compressive strength and the modulus of elasticity were obtained at 2.47 MPa and 3735 MPa respectively. Then utilizing 3Muri Software and the equivalent frame method, this building was modeled in three dimensions and subjected to incremental modal pushover analysis. This research aims to evaluate the current state of the mentioned building despite structural interventions. The results of the pushover analysis show that the safety index is greater than one in the Y direction in all three performance levels (NC, SD, DL). However, the safety index in the X direction falls below one. In addition, the maximum shear strength in the Y direction is roughly 1.5 times of X direction. These findings suggest satisfactory performance in the Y direction while the X-direction exhibits vulnerability, necessitating strengthening measures.