Gorgan City: Heritage and Ritual Landscapes

One of the components of the vitality of urban spaces is the citizen presence with the aim of “being in space”, which results in the improvement of social relations, increase of security, creation of a sense of belonging to the place due to the increased possibility of individual and collective memories, and reduction of crime in the city. Ritual spaces have long played an important role in shaping urban landscapes. They have been strongly experienced as urban public spaces and have been one of the main reasons for the formation of cities. Today, the physical components of traditional cities, even if survive, lack dynamism and citizen presence, and their activity is limited to specific social and religious occasions. In the two-day field visit to the historic fabric of Gorgan City, what attracts visitors most is the multiplicity of Tekyehs, Hussainiyas, and mosques, which are located in the center of the neighborhoods and considered as public open places with high social, religious and economic potentials. In the past, they have been the manifestation of culture, religion, social life, and formed the social identity of the people living in Gorgan City. However, today, due to the change in lifestyle, people’s needs, and modern urbanism model, they have become inactive centers in the heart of the historic and valuable fabric of Gorgan City. That is why the present study aims to use a descriptive-analytic method to examine the heritage and ritual landscapes of Gorgan City in old and new texts and references, and explore the reasons for the multiplicity of mosques and Tekyehs in this city using related texts and field study.