The assessment of locating local mosques to rise the identity structure of mahalas as place for residency - case study Mashhad

Mosques are one of the most obvious faces of Islamic societies and play a fundamental role at both the spiritual and superficial levels. Moreover, in the history of Islamic cities, the three basic elements of mosque, bazaar and mahala have had fundamental and determinative roles in the development and evolution of cities. Amongst the different types of mosques that exist, local mosques, as public spaces with social, economic and political dimensions, have had a great effect in representation of cultural values and Islamic traditions. As in western cities- based on the Peri theory regarding the mahala units- schools have a determinative role in the center of mahalas and residential zones and the local mosque is on the same level of importance as cultural and religious centers. The other amenities and facilities, such as educational and commercial facilities are on a lower level in the center of mahalas. In addition, these local mosques have helped raise the identity of small as well as large mahalas. However, contemporary mosques have many shortages and negative aspects including their location in unsuitable areas and their omission in the identity structure of mahalas as places for residency. In the process of modernity, local mosques are considered to be on a lower level in comparison to the other elements. The scale and position of local mosques does not suit new conditions and does not respond to the diverse demands of users in such a way as to decrease the sense of dependency on its function.
This research attempts to assess mosque selection site of based on the locating index of efficiency, compatibility and comfort (these indexes are more suited to the aim of this research, and other location indexes are omitted) and the accessibility of mahalas to the identity structure as a residential place. ). Thus, a conceptual model based on the comparison between the locating indexes and criteria of creating identity in mahalas is proposed.
This paper can be categorized as applied – development research. The method of this research is descriptive – analytical and uses both primary and secondary data from a mix of qualitative and quantitative methodology of research. The existing secondary data studied was based on two parts: firstly, the location of religious sites and mosques in the past and the effective indexes of creating identity in the residential contexts. The research is based on a case study approach focusing on the twelve zones of Mashhad city. The primary data gathered were firstly from direct observations via site visit of the case studies and secondly questionnaires completed by mosque users and local residents with a combination of qualitative and quantitative data. Then, the primary and secondary data was analyzed using SPPS, EXEL and ARC GIS softwares.
In the findings section, the selected local mosques was analyzed based on the conceptual model for each of the locating indexes qualitatively and quantitatively. This research demonstrates the degree of influence of the criteria of identity in locating local mosques by determining the level of consistency of selected local mosques with the conceptual model. In conclusion, the authors propose that in the contemporary period, mosque locating be based on the three mentioned indexes (efficiency, compatibility and comfort) .