Behyaft; From Mashgh to School of Thought

Referring to the act of discovering the concealed potentials of the blessings, “Behyaft” as a verb, primarily differs from similar cases such as recycling and upcycling; due to the “monotheistic intellectual system” in which it is defined. Behyaft can be considered as synonymous to authentic terms such as “Amal Avordan” (produce), “Kimia” (alchemy), and the act of altering restriction into opportunity, which are the most widely applied terms in civilizations located at environmentally deprived climates such as the cities established at the edge of the deserts of Iran. Through the “Mashgh” (practice) of Behyaft, by employing obsolete materials, higher-value products are created. In this sense, any action that leads to the elevation of the value of things could be considered as a type of Behyaft; and can be a basis for redefining the concept of architecture with its original definition as “Abadani”. At the second step, Behyaft as a school of thought is one of the leading concepts in the Iranian architecture civilization, and it can be recognized as the invisible root for the emergence of many visible epitomes of this civilization. This article believes that the Behyaft as a school of thought can evolve any thought or action by acting as a supporting philosophy. This article is considered as a descriptive-analytical research that relies on the logical reasoning method, based on the initial definitions of the concept of Behyaft, and referring to library resources and field studies, leads to presenting an operational model. This article introduces the Mashgh-e-Behyaft as a way to revitalize the Behyaft school of thought, which is defined as the implementation of the practice of Behyaft in a disciplined method, consisting of its three stages: Bonyaft, Behyaft, and Daryaft. There is a reciprocal interaction between the Mashgh and the school of thought, which leads to the progression of the theoretical fields of Behyaft as a school of thought due to the “sprouting potential” of the Mashgh. Finally, this article proposes a system, designed for Mashgh-e-Behyaft workshops.