A Research on Architectural Structure of Khergheh Mausoleum in Firouzabad of Fars

Abstract Mausoleums have always had a prominent status in human being’s culture and civilization and constitute a large part of development of architecture through the course of history. Formation and identity of most of these buildings depend on religious figures and or local and regional high-ranking persons. Through the Middle Ages, a majority of society tended to Sufism and governments supported Sufis. This brought them a very prominent social and political status. This process needed places for growth of their social identity and social convergence. It seems that architecture of Khergheh Building which is the research subject of this paper is among a series of mausoleums including Shah Nematollah Vali, Sheikh Abdol-Samad Natanz and Sheikh Ahmad Jam Bastam and all of these monuments are related to Sufism which were widely accepted by the society of the then time. Actually, this mausoleum belongs to Seyyed Dāvūd Fahlavi, one of the Sufis of 8th century Hegira in a village named “Khergheh” at the vicinity of Firouzabad Road to Farāshband. It neighbours the cemetery of that area. As the locals highly respect this mausoleum, it has kept its social and cultural identity alive. This complex enjoys a central domed building along with several chambers attached to it. The plan of the building is criss-crossed and the dome chamber makes it available to reach other spaces in all four directions. One of the prominent features of this monument is Kārbandā decorations on the ceiling of the dome. This paper tries to answer two questions: 1) what are the nature and function of this mausoleum with regard to the regional history and culture? 2) Regarding to its architecture specifications, when was it constructed? This research attempts to find logical and methodological answers and tries to clarify the architectural structure and explains how the tetragonal spaces in the first floor have been transformed into hexagonal spaces in the second floor. In addition, this article aims at understanding its cultural and social identity in respect to its function in different Islamic period. The paper enjoys research historicalanalytical method. The required historical data was gathered through library studies. Then the data was documented and the plan of the building was prepared through field surveys and studies. As there exists no comprehensive study on the relation between the architectonic structure of this building and its function through different Islamic period, this paper is of paramount importance. Based on the findings and with respect to its structural characteristics and comparative studies, this structure dates back to the 8th century Hegira. In addition, this building has been originally constructed based on the Sasanian Chārtāghī’s and local architectonic specifications. Then later in parallel with ritualistic and social identity of the region, it has been transformed into a ribat (Khanqah) and mausoleum.