فصلنامه اثر
پیاپی 96 (بهار 1401)

In addition to its main function, which is the place for washing and cleaning, the historic bath also had other ancillary functions, including a place for the formation of social interactions. According to historical evidence, the construction of public baths from the Achaemenid period was typical in Iran, and with the arrival of Islam in Iran and finding a religious aspect, the importance of this type of building increased; many different baths were built next to the bazaar complex and mosques of different cities. Considering the distribution of baths in the Islamic period throughout Iran and the relative stability of Islamic religious beliefs about bathing, the functional uniformity of the interior spaces of this building can be justified. Still, with a simple look at the dimensions of their constituent spaces, we can see the difference in their proportions. To discover the reasons for these differences, the present study uses library documents and descriptive-analytical research methods to explain the physical proportions in historic baths located in hot and dry or cold and mountainous areas. It analyzes the proportions formed under the influence of climatic conditions in them. As a result, similar proportions can be seen in the body of baths located in the same climate. Given the uniform performance of interiors in the construction of bathing houses, it seems that the architect has tried to overcome the challenges related to energy and climate adaptation by creating proportions specific to each climate in the main spaces and corridors.

Troglodytic architecture is a specific type of architecture as it does not use free materials. In recent years, earth-sheltered architecture, also known as troglodytic architecture, has received considerable attention as some of its unknown aspects are under investigation. In this connection, Shavadans in Dezful, which serve as underground cellars, are attracting the attention of researchers as unique types of residential troglodytic architecture. No research has ever independently examined this typological approach to architecture. This descriptive-analytical research study aimed to investigate factors affecting the typology of these Shavadans. It also uses library sources to examine the history of this type of architecture and seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of the Shavadans via field surveys (observation, questionnaires, and interviewing experts). It also uses the Delphi method and questionnaire analysis to study the factors affecting the categorization and typology of 30 examples of Shavadans left from the Qajar to the Pahlavi period under study. It was concluded that there are two major types of Shavadans. The first type is single Shavadans, and the second type is spacious Shavadans. In this regard, the residents' social-economic situation greatly contributed to this typology.

According to the geographical and historical sources of the early and middle Islamic centuries, Beladshapour Roustagh, with the center of the city of Joumeh is located in the northern part of Arjan Koureh, with its location in the Idank area of Kohgilouyeh. Despite the fact that these texts refer to climatic conditions and several mountainous fortresses in the area, the borders of this Roustagh have not been specified in historical texts and maps. The purpose of the present study is to identify the fortifications of Roustagh Baladshapour to determine the geographical scope of the area and its historical significance. This study seeks to answer these questions: 1. Given the role of defensive fortifications in the perspectives of political-administrative geographical units, to which historical era can political-military significance, and the formation of fortifications of Beladshapour be attributed? and 2. To what extent does the geographical scope of this Roustagh correspond to the written sources of the late Islamic centuries? In this paper, we will examine this issue using a descriptive-analytical and historical-analytical approach based on historical and geographical sources and archaeological evidence. The results indicated that the triple fortifications, as a defensive belt, protected the quadrilateral sides of the geographical scope of Baladshapour. The homogeneity of the pottery and the architectural structures demonstrate residence in these fortresses, at least since the beginning of the second century AH, during the reign of Gilouyeh and his descendants in this eastern mountainous region of Arjan. These fortresses appear to have been destroyed by the invasion of Ismailis at the same time as the Seljuk era and have been neglected by the political sovereignty in Kohgilouyeh since then.

The Nasserid and Pahlavi governments exercised power in "urban memory" by establishing memory organizations, carrying out memory programs, and inventing traditions. On the other hand, the cultural policy of the Nasserid and Pahlavi governments have dominated the "Modernization" styles in Iranian painting, urban planning, architecture, and urban sculpture. In fact, the expansion of the installation of urban sculptures in Iran is associated with modernization stabilization. On the other hand, the traditional and religious groups are opposed to displaying and installing sculptures in public. The statues of Nasser al-Din Shah and Garshaseb in Bagh-e Shah and  Hor Square () are two valuable relics of modernization. In this article, the authors use the semiotics of these sculptures to understand how the power and memory relationships govern them. The statue of Nasser al-Din Shah was created in the social relations resulting from the mechanism of "sovereign" power. The power relations engraved in this sculpture have reproduced the memory policy of "modernism". The statue of Garshasb is created in the context of social relations made of the mechanism of "disciplinary" power. The mechanism of hidden power in the sculpture has reconstructed the memory policy of "archaism". Despite the fall of the Pahlavi government with the Islamic Revolution and the overthrow of the mechanism of disciplinary power with the globalization of this eighty-five year's old legacy - the statue of Garshasb - continued its life by changing its name to "Hor". Garshasb's sculpture shows the connection between ancient and Islamic memory. On the other hand, artificial fencing and demarcation have revealed the mechanism of disciplinary power and the memory policy of archaism. In fact, the collective and urban memory of a collection is interconnected.

With the hypothesis that Ferdowsi Shahnameh and Iranian architecture pursued common goals as two cultural manifestations, the present article tries to analyze the architectural words in Shahnameh and search for epic features in the architectural works and explore the commonalities of these two cultural manifestations. First, the characteristics of poems are analyzed. The architecture of Khorasan after Shahnameh is examined, and finally, the results of Ferdowsi's poems and the fifth-century buildings' characteristics will be correlated. The primary purpose is to determine the characteristics to understand epic architecture. The question is, which elements and artistic features are common in Ferdowsi poetry and Khorasan architecture in the period after this work? Do these similarities indicate the influence of Shahnameh on the intellectual current of Khorasan architecture in the fifth century? How are these indicators prioritized? First, the characteristics of Shahnameh were extracted using library resources, and then a questionnaire was used by the Delphi technique to weigh the effective indicators and exposed to 15 experts. Then, by selecting 8 important buildings of the fifth century and using the hierarchical method and AHP technique, using the opinions of 10 experts, the buildings were prioritized in terms of epic. The results show that among the characteristics of epic architecture, "induction of majesty", "solidity," and "symbol" have the highest semantic appearing in the buildings of the fifth century compared to the previous period. Malek Souzan mosque and the tomb of Arsalan Jazeb are in the highest rank among the samples.

Vakil Mosque of Shiraz is known as the most significant religious building of the Zandieh period in Iran's history of Islamic art and architecture. It is one of the most beautiful and fortified mosques built in Iran after the Safavid period. This mosque, which has been renovated many times during its history, can be considered an example of this period's architectural history in terms of architectural and decorative features. According to the history of the construction of the Vakil Mosque, it can be seen that the architectural components of this mosque have differences and similarities due to the construction and payment in different periods in the style of decoration, especially in tiling. Therefore, the existence of different styles in the plant decorations of the mosque is not far from the mind. Based on this premise, this study examines and recognizes the types of plant motifs, classifies decorative designs, and expresses the similarities and differences of these motifs in the architectural decorations of Vakil Mosque in Shiraz. The method of analysis of the results of the data of this research is qualitative (descriptive-analytical). This study shows that plant motifs in mosque spaces, despite the apparent diversity and abundance, have common features and follow coherent and similar patterns in design.

Yazd, since it has fewer ups and downs and social ups and downs, architecture in a calm bed has continued in a quiet context. Security concerns and relative calm during the Middle Ages and the digging of numerous aqueducts have paved the way for the emergence of gardens in Yazd city. Therefore, due to the extensive use of gardens in the historical texts of Yazd and the lack of research on the medieval gardens of Yazd, this article addresses this issue. This article aims to study the characteristics of the mentioned gardens in the historical text and the components of these gardens. The research method of this article is based on historical documents and library studies. The method of this analytical-historical research and its main source is historical sources such as the book "Tarikh-e yazd" and " Tarikh-e Jadid-e Yazd" and "Jame e Mofidi". This article describes historic gardens from aspects of architecture, decorations, function, developments, creators, and factors of origin. The historical scope of this research is from the birth of Yazd to the tenth century AH. It includes the gardens of the first centuries AH, the period of Al-Kakuieh, Atabakan, Al-Muzaffar, Timurids, and Safavids. This study shows that Yazd gardens have local and indigenous characteristics that are common in this area. According to historical sources, it is undeniable that the architectural methods and local decoration have entered the garden building. Also, the evolution of gardens throughout history and various activities in Yazd gardens show that some gardens are multi-functional. Finally, as the founders of the gardens, local rulers and nobles have played a major role in digging canals and ultimately forming historic gardens.

Qajar era is the period of fundamental changes and the introduction of new urban concepts. Squares, a type of urban space, were the subject of some of these changes. This article focuses on four main Qajar capital squares (Mashgh, Arg, Toupkhaneh, Sabzi-meidan) in their urban context around the royal citadel, aiming to answer these questions: 1-What changes in these squares over time have affected the citadel? 2-what is the role of the relationship between these squares and their spatial and functional features in other developments? Using the interpretive-historical method and primary and secondary sources as well as visual documents, the initial findings were collected, and logical reasoning of the findings, drawing diagrams, and reproduction of some maps showed that developments of Arg, Mashgh, and Sabzi-meidan squares in Naseri period (before the city expansion) and the improvement of their physical and functional condition led to the birth of squares with specific design and function in the north and south of the royal citadel; previously, these spaces were chaotic with multiple functions. Also, the changes in Arg Square and its transformation into Golshan Garden led to the birth of Toupkhaneh Square in the north of the citadel and the formation of the fourth square around this common urban context. Secondly, these four squares have been the precondition for the emergence of another: first Sabzi-meidan, then Arg, then Mashgh, and finally Toupkhaneh square were formed. On the other hand, the function and location of the squares have been in harmony with each other.

No archaeological excavations have yet been carried out in the old district of the city of Birjand, the capital of South Khorasan province, albeit of its valuable historic district. Therefore, its formation and development throughout history are not clearly known. Studying historical sources and texts, which are limited, and using the historical evidence and monuments and the city borders, the formation and growth of Birjand could be understood. The desert climate of a large part of South Khorasan has led to environmental conditions not present everywhere in this region to form living places. Birjand is geographically formed in an environment with fertile soil, available water, and favorable weather in hot and cold seasons than neighboring areas. Also, its linking role and location in the connecting route of Khorasan and Sistan throughout history and the transfer of centrality from Qaen to Birjand during the Safavid period to the Qajar always plays a significant role in the growth and development of the city. In the middle of the Qajar period, the city's importance caused the British and Russian countries to establish consulates in Birjand. In this period, we witnessed the formation of new neighborhoods as well as markets in the city. This study aims to study the formation and development of Birjand city based on geographical conditions, historical texts, and archaeological data. The findings were collected through library and field studies with a historical and cultural approach and descriptive and analytical methods. Finally, this article seeks to answer these questions: (i) what factors have influenced the growth and development of Birjand over time? (ii) according to the architectural evidence in the old district of Birjand, where are the areas of formation of the city, and in what period is it considered the center of Qohestan?

Naghsh-e Jahan Square was built during the Safavid period as a prominent government architecture complex in Isfahan. Naghsh-e Jahan Square consists of four specific buildings, each of which has a separate function. The Sheikh Lotfollah building is the third monument built in chronological order. This monument is located on the east side of the square, opposite the Aali Qapo Palace. Transformation of the  this building's form and its adjacent buildings over time  makesit difficult to understand the original function of the building. In this paper, we analyze all the existing descriptive documents of the time of Sheikh Lotfollah's construction for the first time. These descriptive documents also include the manuscripts written by people studying or teaching at Sheikh Lotfollah. Based on the analysis of the documents and similar buildings built at that time, we explore the main function of this building over time. This study reveals that the primary function of the Sheikh Lotfollahat the time of construction was to serve as a school. Although the main function of the building was educational, the prayer hall was used for prayer complementary. The size of this monument is large, and accordingly, the prayer hall is large.  Due to the destruction of some parts of the building with the functionality of education and the similarity of the size and the form of the prayer hall to prayer hall in other mosques, Sheikh Lotfollah has named a mosque instead of a school.

In center of Iran, moisture has been a serious problem regarding historic buildings, especially when most of them were built using adobe. Traditional architects have designed fantastic elements like Nakesh to control and eliminate moisture. Aiming to document as well as conserve and re-use of an original conservation technique, the present article asks these questions: What is Nakesh in the Historic Buildings in hot and arid areas in center of Iran? How does it work? How is it built? To answer these questions, different research methods were utilized, including literature review, field observation of original cases, and focusing on Nakesh building process in Torab historic House as a case study. Nakesh has different types; however, their mechanism is the same. The kind that will be specifically studied in this research is a vertical channel around the courtyard in central courtyard building. The channel works based on a natural ventilation which absorbs the moisture from its surrounding soil as a conservative element. Transferring and evaporating moisture by Nakesh led to save the foundation of building elements; the moisture permeates into the ground then into the building bases due to small pool, garden, and watering in the courtyard or the moisture which comes up through the ground. Construction materials, techniques to build floor, wall, and the ceiling of Nakesh, and the plan and section of it in each case are different, depending on building properties. These factors play a key role in Nakesh function.

The study of subsistence economics is an approach that uses the biological remains of humans, animals, and plants and the use of various sciences to reconstruct the economy and food system of different ancient human societies. This article studies the livelihood and economic system of the cultural sphere of northern Iran during the Iron Age, which ranged from the second half of the millennium to the first half of the millennium BC, examining the cultural-economic structure, the most important indicator of which is how the social interaction in the framework of the living system with the ecology of the study area (Savad Kuh) based on archaeological findings. The primary purpose of this study is to explain the livelihood costs and economy of Lefour Iron Age Cemetery. The main question is: To what extent can the plant and animal species identifiable in Lefour play a role in the livelihood economy? The present study is based on the archaeological field method, laboratory; library methods are used to analyze and compare data. According to the suitable living conditions of the region's ecology and climate, the research results are reconstructed to reconstruct Lefour's living pattern and the type of human-environment relationship in the area in a cultural-economic interaction. According to the economic systems of agriculture and animal husbandry, they are interconnected parts of a socio-economic system despite formal differences. Archaeological studies of the area indicate the existence of a hunter-gatherer, farmer, and farmer community in the Iron Age.