The Architectural Typology of the Mosques within the Historical Bazaar of Kashan

The historical Bazaar of Kashan includes 11 mosques. These mosques along other buildings and places form the basic elements of Bazaar structure. Besides, these historical mosques play a significant role in the identity formation of the bazaar. Hence, shedding light on the given mosques, including their patterns, formation, and positions can provide accurate knowledge of the Bazaar and will be helpful. Like other historical elements in this city, these mosques have also undergone changes; that is, some parts have been destroyed, and others have been reconstructed. Regarding this background, the present study aims at figuring out the patterns, the assemblage of the principal elements, and the space of these mosques. In other words, the main objective is to identify and categorize these mosques inside the Bazaar of Kashan. In this respect, the following questions were addressed: what are the main spaces in these mosques? What changes and transformation have these mosques had undergone? How many types do they have in terms of spatial organization? Using a descriptive-historical method along with field surveys, the researcher has tried to compare the designs and compositions of these mosques. The surveys revealed that these mosques were mostly hypostyle ones; none had chambers and domes, while in the city of Kashan some grand mosques such as Jame Mosque, Mir-Emad Mosque, and Wazir Mosque included two key spaces, i.e., chambers and domes. This study also demonstrated that these mosques could be split into two types; that is, hypostyle mosques without and with courtyards. Furthermore, the hypostyle ones with courtyards could be put into two groups: those with courtyards and spatial identity and those in which courtyards had no special design or position, yet they contained open spaces without a shape or an identity.