A Comparative Semantic Study of Landmarks of Old and Contemporary Neighborhoods from Perspective of Islamic Notions and the Perspective of Citizens' Perception (A Case Study of Shotorban and Roshdiyeh Neighborhoods of Tabriz)

Cities are shaped by the culture of a nation and reflect their identity. In the modern image of cities, Islamic identity is less considered. One of the most important aspects of the city's identity is meaning. Improper meaning of city image and its incompatibility with cultural values causes the undesirable identity of today's cities. Attention to this meaning can play a role as one of the most important identifying factors in the city. Considering Islamic principles and indicators in the formation of the city and its buildings in order to achieve Islamic identity of the city is considerable. The perceptual meaning of city's image is considered an Islamic meaning when the received messages are recognized in accordance with Islamic values. In this regard, this study evaluates the image of old and contemporary neighborhoods of Tabriz. In this way this study identifies the landmarks of the mentioned neighborhoods from the perspective of people's perception. Then it analyzes and reviews these landmarks perceptual meaning from the perspective of people's perception. It raises the question of what is the difference between the perceptual meaning of landmarks from the perspective of Islamic culture? Then it studies what do these landmarks correspond to the Islamic identity? The research method is descriptive-analytical. The first stage in the context of library studies reviews the sources and then uses the case study method, questionnaire, and field analysis to identify and examine landmarks. It examines these landmarks based on the semantic indicators derived from Islamic notions. The results indicate that landmarks of traditional neighborhoods have a religious function, and the landmarks of contemporary neighborhoods have a material function. Lack of attention to Islamic values has caused the appearance of contemporary neighborhoods to be significantly different from Islamic identity. Based on comparative findings, citizens' perceptions of architectural landmarks in the traditional neighborhood of Shotorban compared to the newly built neighborhood of Roshdiyeh, in three levels of formal-practical, mental-emotional, and value-symbolic meanings which are more compatible with semantic principles derived from Islamic Notions (divine-spiritual, social, environmental, and identity). The results indicate that the landmarks of traditional neighborhoods of perceptual meaning correspond to semantic indicators from the perspective of Islamic thought, while in contemporary neighborhoods the perceptual meaning of landmarks is far from Islamic principles and values. Since the citizens' perception of architectural landmarks in Shotorban and Roshdiyeh neighborhoods is based on traditional schemas and spatial patterns of traditional and contemporary living, it is possible to adopt strategies to improve citizens' understanding of architectural landmarks acted in physical, functional, and semantic dimensions.