Formulation of the design principles of physical elements of the mosque with emphasis on form hierarchies in order to increase attendance (Case Study: Mosque of Qajar period in Shiraz)

In the last decade, more than before, there is a need to find a solution to increase interest in attending mosques. With the modernization of human life, human’s spiritual need for worship has made them need to attend mosques. However, human beings are less interested in using and staying in these spaces than before. This research first seeks to find the answer to the question, what is the formal hierarchy of mosques during the Qajar period in Shiraz? And secondly, what are the principles of designing the physical elements of the mosque with an emphasis on form hierarchies in order to increase attendance? The purpose of this article is to find principles for designing mosques with emphasis on shape hierarchy in order to increase attendance. For this purpose, the principle of hierarchy in mosques was first discussed with field studies and library surveys. Then the design proposals were prepared according to the criteria of visual ecology obtained in library studies. These suggestions were evaluated in the form of a questionnaire among experts using the Delphi method. Then, the results of this questionnaire were analyzed in SPSS v25 software to check compliance or non-compliance, the degree of influence and the importance of the proposed solutions in the Qajar mosques of Shiraz. According to the analysis carried out in this research, the most effective solutions that can create a formal hierarchy, as a result of increasing spirituality and interest in attending mosques, are solutions such as increasing "additional and decorative elements" and "Make the roof lines more visible" in the design.