Journal of Researches in Islamic Architecture

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Due to the dryness of the weather in most parts of Iran and the lack of sufficient rainfall in more than six months of the year in most places, resulting in the seasonality of rivers and the lack of access to water, various arrangements for fresh water supply in the dry seasons has been established. The construction of the AB ANBAR (water reservoir and cistern) is one of innovative ways to supply drinking water. In this regard, AB ANBAR, as its name implies, is to store water in watery seasons and use it during the rest of the year. The main structure of the AB ANBAR consists of an underground storage tank and dome to cover it on the ground. In some areas in Iran a wind catcher has been added to this structure to keep water cool in summer.The construction material used for Ab Anbars were special mortar called Sarooj which was made of sand, clay, lime, goat hair, egg whites and ash in specific proportions, depending on location and climate of the city. Some Ab Anbars had storage space tanks that were rectangular and some of them had cylindrical shape.
In order to study the thermal energy potential in the Ab Anbars of Yazd city and the amount of radiation and shading received on the surface of each dome, using the Energy Plus simulation software, thermal analysis was carried out to determine the effect of the dome form on the amount of received sunlight and shadow On the surface of the Ab Anbar dome.
The calculations were carried out by selecting several samples of Yazd valued Ab Anbars, based on the form diversity and the type of dome arch. In order to simulate the domes, they were first modeled in Revit software 2017, and then models were transferred to Rhino 5 software, using the honeybee & lady bug, and with the Energy plus Engine analysis of the received solar radiation and shading were done.
The amount of received sunlight on the surfaces of the Ab Anbars dome in Yazd is different, and the shape of the dome has a strong relationship with the amount of received radiation. The amount of solar radiation received in the HAJ NASIR dome with an area of 75 square meters is 102906 kW / m2.
This amount of solar radiation on the surface of SAHRAIE DASTI dome with an area of ​​137 square meters is 198697 kW / m2 and Get more radiation than HAJ NASIR dome. Another dome sample is BARSOIEH in TAFT with an area of ​​317 square meters is the largest dome among the studied cases. The dome receives 523597 kW / m 2 radiation. The Yazd HAJ GHAZI dome is 133 square meters and receive 215,712 kW / m2. The last one is Dome of SHAH VALLI in Taft, with a total area of ​​194 square meters which absorbs 286,159 kW / m2 radiation. The results of these analyzes shows that the highest amount of solar radiation received from the dome of the studied water reservoirs is BARSOIEH in TAFT dome with the amount of 76046 KW / m2, and the lowest amount of radiation received by Sun is in HAJ NASIR reservoir dome with the amount 102906 kW / m.
According to these results, HAJ NASIR dome is the most suitable dome in the hot and dry climate of Yazd and, in heat absorption in shadow area of domes, the largest shading is in dome of BARSOIEH in TAFT. But the point that should be considered in the analyzes is the area of ​​the dome of the Ab Anbars in the Yazd climate, which is, of course, as far as the area of ​​the domes is high, the amount of absorption and shadow of the sun will be greater. For this reason, in the analyzes, uniformity of the dimensions of the Ab Anbars domes were used, so that the optimum dome can be obtained in terms of receiving solar radiation and absorbing heat in the shadowed area. To equalize the domes, the absorption of the sun's radiation of each dome is divided by the amount of shadowing of the same dome, the number obtained indicates the relationship between the amount of radiation and shadow on the dome. That is, greater number shows greater amount of radiation absorbed in that dome comparing shadow casted by the dome. The results show 6 for SAHRAIE DASTI dome, 7 for BARSOIEH in TAFT, 8 for HAJ GHAZI, 11 for HAJ NASIR, and finally the highest number were 12 for SHAH VALLI in Taft.
This results shows that the lowest radiation intake is in SAHRAIE DASTI dome and the highest radiation is in SHAH VALLI in Taft, it can be concluded that the most optimal AB ANBAR dome for the Yazd city climate is the dome of SAHRAIE DASTI.

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The use of proportions has always been considered in traditional Iranian architecture, and especially after Islam, because of the creation of an architecture that is far from Individual Interests and the impact that has on the quality of  building conceptual understanding. The purpose of the present study is to examine the proportions in the courtyards of the historical houses of Behbahan city and to express their characteristics in order to provide a true picture of the proportions governing them and to provide a starting point for future research in the field of proportions. According to the studies that have been done so far, the architecture of major buildings and even the architecture of famous cities such as Kashan, Yazd, Isfahan and Shiraz have been used in some way, However, there has been no research on the use of proportions in the traditional architecture of smaller cities. However, examining the suitability of buildings in each area over different time periods can help to complement the architectural information of traditional buildings. And finally, by completing the information, check that the proportions used are the same or different in different regions. And basically what are the reasons of their differences and similarities. That represents a new window into Iranian architecture. The first step in achieving this is to examine the proportions in different areas. The city of Behbahan is no exception, due to its several thousand years history and its role in all historical periods. In addition, Behbahan was once a major commercial city and dock (base) of Khuzestan, Pars and port cities. And its historical texture has more than 40 neighborhoods, with many valuable buildings in terms of architecture. However, less research has been conducted about the architecture and features of traditional houses in Behbahan. And, except in books such as the Book of "Identity of Behbahan", and some travel logs and memories such as " Travelogue of  south iran ", it has not been done in detail as a comprehensive study. Hence the choice for this research. But due to the wars and wreaks that took place in the Khuzestan region, and also the warm weather conditions of the region, and also the lack of attention of organizations, landowners, unfortunately, today few of these historic houses remain, that  most of which belong to The Qajar and the first Pahlavi era. It is necessary to check the proportion in different buildings But since the house is considered as an essential part of any period building and the courtyard has always played a central role in the structure of traditional homes, This research tries to study the proportions in the courtyard of Behbahan houses. In order to answer the main question of this research, "Which of the proportions has been used in the traditional architecture of Iran in the courtyards of Behbahan houses?" 

To answer the above question, a descriptive - analytic method has been used in this research. Today there are many houses in the historical context of Behbahan that Mostly remained from the Qajar and Pahlavi periods. There were 31 homes available for researchers based on documents available,that 10 were selected.On the condition that in choice of samples for each period, criteria such as appropriate historical value, specific construction period, healthy architectural framework, and no interference, have been taken into consideration. Of these, 8 are listed on the National Heritage List. Firstly, using library studies tools, different types of architectural ratios and architecture of Behbahan houses are studied. Then, by gathering documents and using field studies and the direct presence of researchers in the houses, their general characteristics, including the period of construction, the neighborhood and the components of the houses, were extracted, Finally, the dimensions required for analysis were extracted from maps using AutoCAD software and based on the graphical scale size of the maps. In the last step, using descriptive-analytical method by Excel software and in some cases by geometric analysis, the data is analyzed based on architectural proportions. The results show that, Among the existing proportions used in the Behbahanchr('39')s courtyards in both Qajar and Pahlavi periods, most of them follow the Iranian gold and square geometry, and the 1.618 golden ratios are less of a concern for architects. In general, the use of √2 and √1.25 ratios is more commonly used in construction and measurement because of its proximity to square form and its simplicity and speed. Some homes may also had been fitted to a part of facade that is more important than other parts or has symmetry such as a porch or three-door and five-door rooms, This confirms the importance and application of proportions in the main spaces of traditional homes. In addition in some aspects, the combination of two proportions is used side by side.