Study on the effect of Bazaar on the Transformation process of the Spatial Structure of Kashan

Since old ages, Bazaar has been considered to be the most important sector and central core of Kashan, both economically and socially. During the last century, with the urban development of Kashan, the city has undergone significant structural transformations, resulting in the separation of bazaar from urban context, marginalization of the Bazaar and, consequently, the downfall of the business. These changes, which usually coincide with street construction, have led to destruction in parts such as the new copperworkers’s bazaar and deterioration in other parts such as panakhl bazaar.  The goal is to study the effects of changes caused by street construction on the spatial structure of the city and the role of bazaar in it. Based on it’s goals, this is an applied research which uses descriptive-explanatory method.  this paper which is based on studying the city’s spatial structure and includes a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, relies on spatial analysis using space syntax method in addition to functional study of bazaar, and the results are explained using a generalized and interpretive approach based on historical features and roles of bazaar in the overall urban structure. . To achieve this goal, the spatial structure of the city in three different periods during the current century are studied.  The results show that with the construction of  a series of streets in Kashan from  1300’s up to 1340’s, Bazaar gradually lost its centrality in the city and the aforementioned streets have created a grid structure, in which the bazaar has little role. As a result of these changes, urban development and the new spatial structure oriented towards west and south-west, have caused the bazaar to become isolated in relation to the historical city and the streets have led to major changes in it. It seems that these streets have isolated the bazaar from it’s urban context and it’s elements have lost their original integrity.