The Urban Transformation of Public Spaces in Iran Until the End of the Safavid Era

The public space has been altered over the course of history. Many factors such as politics, economy, government, religion, etc., could impact the forms and functions of public space. The gradual evolution of public space could be understood as a consequence of urbanization development. However, it seems that through the history of urbanism in Iran, until the end of the Safavid era, the urban texture in public space has experienced major shifts during two historical periods: the early centuries of Islam and the Safavid era. In this paper, by adopting a historical method, the concept of public open space on a city-scale and its urban role have been theoretically studied. As a result of this study, we found that significant transformation in the forms and functions of public space, during the early centuries of Islam and the Safavid era, was under the influence of political and ideological transformation in Iranian society.