A Look at the Functional Developments of Suburban Streets from the Ilkhanid to the Timurid Period by Examining the Case Study of Khiaban Mazar-i Soltani in Herat

The role of suburban streets in urban planning in Iran from the Ilkhanid period to the end of the Timurid era has been very influential. However, due to the lack of historical and archaeological sources, the structural pattern of these suburban streets in Iranian cities before the Safavid period cannot be found. Among these, the only reliable items for study are a type of suburban street that has been identified in archaeological studies due to its architectural remains. This type of street construction, which was mainly formed and flourished in the Timurid era due to the location of tombs and other religious buildings, can be introduced as the Khiaban-Mazar (street-tomb). The purpose of this study, in addition to studying the evolution of suburban streets in Iranian cities before the Safavid period, is to study one of the unique examples of street-mausoleum construction in the late Timurid period, known as Khiaba mazar-i Soltani. The main question that this research sought to answer is what structural connection did the suburban streets have with the cities, and how did this kind of street construction lead to the creation of Timurid Khiaban-Mazars? The results show that the changes in the construction of suburban streets, which started especially from the patriarchal period, due to the establishment of royal residences and suburban settlements, flourished in the Timurid period and were born due to the passage of these streets through suburban cemeteries. A new type of street construction and collection has led to this period called Khiaban-Mazar.