Investigation and Determination of the Evolution Process of Architecture in the Structure of the Tabriz bazaar with emphasis on contextualism

Contextualism, as an important approach in architecture emphasizes upon the preservation of traces of the past and the differences and the features of each culture and it is rooted in the identity of every nation. The ancient texture of cities carries rich signs of the culture and identity of forebears and Iranian traditional architecture is no exception to this rule, at the same time it’s a rich instance of harmony and co-habitation with environmental characteristics and spatial values. In traditional Iranian cities, bazaar was considered to be a fundamental element so that the city was recognized and appreciated for its bazaar. The Tabriz bazaar arranged in a complete city block has a long antiquity, vastness, functional diversity and architectural values. The current research makes attempt to elucidate and determine contextual factors influencing the Tabriz bazaar at urban (site location, formation and development) and architectural (dispersion of physical elements and function) scales. Therefore, the research questions are explained as follows: first, which contextual factors have been influential in the site location, formation and development of the Tabriz bazaar (Large scale)? Secondly, which contextual factors have been influential in the dispersion of physical elements and functions of the Tabriz bazaar (Intermediate scale)? The methodology of the research is deductive, which is based on the analysis of the content of documents. Thereby, the research attempts to reread the subject matter and to draw a conclusion through the study of documents, exploration of historical books and logbooks, analysis of maps and old aerial images of Tabriz and the bazaar, as well as analysis of field survey findings of the existing condition of the bazaar. The extraction of contextual factors affecting the formation of the bazaar on the metropolitan scale and architectural programming related to the physical and functional dispersion shows that the formation and development of Tabriz bazaar and its elements over the ages have been influenced by the environmental, cultural, social, political, governmental and economic structure of the city. The effect of the contextual index in terms of the status of the political geography of the city and the economic value of the structural index of bazaar on the formation of necessity characteristic, supply-demand relationship and its manifestation in the form of Tabriz bazaar on large and medium scale has been found to be of more importance.