Sense of place in mosques based on a comparative study of the shape and place making of Fakhr-Ö-Madin in historical mosques

Sense of place in mosques based on a comparative study of the shape and place making of Fakhr-Ö-Madin in historical mosques Abstarct Fakhr-Ö-Madin are elements of native architecture of Iran that have a special place in different types of Iranian architecture. This element as a technique in material arrangement has been used in architecture since the past to date; Architects used this technique to create shadows and bright for visual beauty, and to absorb the looking at the facade. In the initial view, the Fakhr-Ö-Madin is merely a decorative element, but the main issue of the present research is that did the Fakhr-Ö-Madin beside the decorations was a way to create a sense of place in Iranian Islamic monuments? To answer this question, it is needed to know the changes of this element through the time and place; to clarify the subject, the mosque was chosen as the case study. The main reasons for this choice is that mosques have constructed in different periods form the early Islam era up to now, and the Fakhr-Ö-Madin has been used lesser in other types of architecture. The present study is an application Comparative research and the required information has been collected from library references and field surveys. The results show that the Fakhr o Madin as an architectural element is essentially an application element. The main characteristics of the Fakhr-Ö-Madin which encouraged the architects to use it are security, privacy, thermal comfort and ventilation, beauty, visual interaction and lighting. In different historical periods, along with the political and belief changes the Fakhr-Ö-Madin has changed too. However, this element has been effective in various historical intervals in creating a sense of place, sensory and emotional experiences and mental images in individuals. Keywords: Fakhr-Ö-Madin, Architecture of the mosque, Sense of place of mosque, Iranian architecture