Journal of Researches in Islamic Architecture

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Nowadays Islamic countries more than ever concentrate on identity to revive their dignity at the age of globalization. Countries of west of Asia especially Persian Gulf countries enjoy a prosperous architectural era because of oil well revenues. Saudi Arabia from among them selected purposely to analyses to understand interaction of localization and globalization in contemporary architecture of developing countries. Saudi Arabia as the birthplace of Islam with the growing economy in recent years, is a good context for massive constructions, which result in identity crisis in contemporary architecture. Economic growth during last 40 years in these countries has affected various aspects of their lives. Undoubtedly architecture and urbanism as one of the main substrates were affected by these developments. Limitation of construction technology and engineers’ abilities in these countries made the Arabs to assign the designing and construction phase of their huge projects to European and American architects and engineers with completely different background and cultural beliefs from Muslims’. Although some researches have focused on identity crisis in modern architecture, very few researches have noted the interaction and conflict between the Islamic identity and contemporary architecture. The main objective of this research is to identify and analyze the native and Islamic identity in contemporary architecture of Saudi Arabia. The main research questions are: 1- What are the main current trends in contemporary architecture of Saudi Arabia? And how they have noted the concept of identity in their works? What is the relationship between theory (what the architects have in their minds or the goal they are following to reach an ideal design) and practice (what is observed in final result or understood by people) in contemporary architecture of Saudi Arabia? According to the theoretical framework, current buildings in Saudi Arabia are analyzed based on five general parameters and factors: 1-Main idea forming the design (concept), 2-The Construction Technology, 3- The material in the unit, 4- The shape and form of the unit, 5- the relationship with the surrounding environment. This article analyzed the buildings of the past two decades impartially in terms of the referred parameters. This research consists of two main parts. In the first part the architect’s opinion about his/her design was discussed. In the second part researchers analyzed the mentioned works according to the theoretical framework. The comparative analysis of the architect's comments about his work and researchers’ inferences can determine the distance between theory and practice of contemporary architecture in Saudi Arabia, then the architect’s success in achieving his/her objectives will be determined. This comparison will indicate whether the architects have succeeded in conveying their ideas to people or not. To meet scheduled objectives, fifty artworks were selected randomly from among the buildings designed in the past two decades, and were analyzed according to the main parameters. Then the quantitative data were transferred to SPSS22 software to determine the correlation between these two groups. Studies conducted indicate that a considerable proportion of contemporary architecture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are design by foreign architects who are not familiar enough with Islam as the official religion of the country. We can see some puzzlement in contemporary architecture due to the diversity of forms and concepts. The architects’ description about their own works indicated that the main trends of contemporary architecture are in the use of postmodern forms, conceptualism, prevalent structures and modern materials. The findings indicate what architects statements and opinions expressed in the form of Islamic revival, is leading to imitate the famous forms of ancient architecture in practice. In fact, imitation of ancient forms and reconstruction of them by modern technologies means the expression of Islamic and native identity in contemporary architecture to most of the foreign architects. This leads to a contradiction between the theory and practice in contemporary works, although the construction quality of the analyzed samples is remarkable. To solve these problems it is essential to assign projects to vernacular architects and engineers where possible. Native architects with Islamic culture and beliefs will be more capable than foreign ones in expression and manifestation of Islamic identity in their works. On the other hand foreign architects should change their strategies in dealing with problems. Avoiding imitation of old patterns, getting more information about theories, Islamic culture, main needs and aspirations of Muslims are some of these strategies helping the architects to deal with the referred problems. These challenges make some serious threats and challenged contemporary architecture of developing countries. The results of the paper show that new architectural technologies and revivalist trends are the most important players in contemporary architecture of developing countries such as Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries because of their richness in cultural heritage, spiritual findings and local identity.

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Nowadays Islamic countries more than ever concentrate on identity to revive their dignity at the age of globalization. Countries of west of Asia especially Persian Gulf countries enjoy a prosperous architectural era because of oil well revenues. Saudi Arabia from among them selected purposely to analyses to understand interaction of localization and globalization in contemporary architecture of developing countries. Saudi Arabia as the birthplace of Islam with the growing economy in recent years, is a good context for massive constructions, which result in identity crisis in contemporary architecture. Economic growth during last 40 years in these countries has affected various aspects of their lives. Undoubtedly architecture and urbanism as one of the main substrates were affected by these developments. Limitation of construction technology and engineers’ abilities in these countries made the Arabs to assign the designing and construction phase of their huge projects to European and American architects and engineers with completely different background and cultural beliefs from Muslims’. Although some researches have focused on identity crisis in modern architecture, very few researches have noted the interaction and conflict between the Islamic identity and contemporary architecture. The main objective of this research is to identify and analyze the native and Islamic identity in contemporary architecture of Saudi Arabia. The main research questions are: 1- What are the main current trends in contemporary architecture of Saudi Arabia? And how they have noted the concept of identity in their works? What is the relationship between theory (what the architects have in their minds or the goal they are following to reach an ideal design) and practice (what is observed in final result or understood by people) in contemporary architecture of Saudi Arabia? According to the theoretical framework, current buildings in Saudi Arabia are analyzed based on five general parameters and factors: 1-Main idea forming the design (concept), 2-The Construction Technology, 3- The material in the unit, 4- The shape and form of the unit, 5- the relationship with the surrounding environment. This article analyzed the buildings of the past two decades impartially in terms of the referred parameters. This research consists of two main parts. In the first part the architect’s opinion about his/her design was discussed. In the second part researchers analyzed the mentioned works according to the theoretical framework. The comparative analysis of the architect's comments about his work and researchers’ inferences can determine the distance between theory and practice of contemporary architecture in Saudi Arabia, then the architect’s success in achieving his/her objectives will be determined. This comparison will indicate whether the architects have succeeded in conveying their ideas to people or not. To meet scheduled objectives, fifty artworks were selected randomly from among the buildings designed in the past two decades, and were analyzed according to the main parameters. Then the quantitative data were transferred to SPSS22 software to determine the correlation between these two groups. Studies conducted indicate that a considerable proportion of contemporary architecture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are design by foreign architects who are not familiar enough with Islam as the official religion of the country. We can see some puzzlement in contemporary architecture due to the diversity of forms and concepts. The architects’ description about their own works indicated that the main trends of contemporary architecture are in the use of postmodern forms, conceptualism, prevalent structures and modern materials. The findings indicate what architects statements and opinions expressed in the form of Islamic revival, is leading to imitate the famous forms of ancient architecture in practice. In fact, imitation of ancient forms and reconstruction of them by modern technologies means the expression of Islamic and native identity in contemporary architecture to most of the foreign architects. This leads to a contradiction between the theory and practice in contemporary works, although the construction quality of the analyzed samples is remarkable. To solve these problems it is essential to assign projects to vernacular architects and engineers where possible. Native architects with Islamic culture and beliefs will be more capable than foreign ones in expression and manifestation of Islamic identity in their works. On the other hand foreign architects should change their strategies in dealing with problems. Avoiding imitation of old patterns, getting more information about theories, Islamic culture, main needs and aspirations of Muslims are some of these strategies helping the architects to deal with the referred problems. These challenges make some serious threats and challenged contemporary architecture of developing countries. The results of the paper show that new architectural technologies and revivalist trends are the most important players in contemporary architecture of developing countries such as Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries because of their richness in cultural heritage, spiritual findings and local identity.

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Many scholars believe that social modernity in Iran has been started far earlier than era of Reza Shah Pahlavi with its up-down modernization project and it is argued that there has been an innate social process of modernity gradually developed since Qajar period. So it can be questioned that which one of the two cultural models of Modernity and Tradition has been dominating Qajar artifacts and if there were any clear footsteps of cultural patterns of modernity in spaces of everyday life of ordinary people of that time. Here, this question is inquired from the viewpoint of guest’s spatiality of home. Beginning from this question then domestic examples from first period of introducing of modernity to Iran (since Qajar to starting years of Pahlavi Dynasty) with emphasize on cases of city of Tabriz are studied concentrating on effects of the two cultures of Tradition and Modernity on spatial patterns of hospitality within these houses. The hypothesis of productive effect of dialectic of “self-other” on domestic spaces of modern era is put into critical debate. Three basic patterns of domestic spaces (minimal house, maximal one and collective house) are analyzed from viewpoint of spatial-cultural relations. Each of these three patterns has its special theoretical debate in western discourse of early modernity. For each pattern two example of Qajar houses of Tabriz are selected for analyzing of guest space: Amir-Nezam house and Behnam House are considered as maximalist type, Alavi House and Sehhati house as minimal examples and Rastgar house as semi-community house. So the research method is historical-interpretive based on historical texts, assessments and pictures as well as buildings. The maximal pattern is bourgeois’ that is manifested in Victorian examples. In this pattern all spaces are arranged upon a theatrical scene in which actors are homeowners and audiences are guests. This theatrical model as Goffman argued has been extended to contemporary western house. Introduction of large variety of rooms for various presences of guests can be interpreted as a byproduct of this culture. In comparison, in its Iranian counterpart there is no considerable social distance between the host and the guest in spatial order of a conventional party. Such a view has resulted in unifying of guest receiving space and living space which is placed at the central axis of house. This axial position is a socio-cultural characteristic of guest’s spatiality which is not restricted to maximalist ones. Any separation among people during guest presence would be upon vast family divisions which has no relation to guests. Heavy interior decoration of bourgeois’ internal design is eliminated in many houses of rich men of Qajar as our study shows. Two minimalist patterns of early modernity are arguable: dirty houses of Industrial revolution and what has been called “the minimum dwelling” by modernists. The latter is a product of modernists’ social project which was based on reducing home-living in the favor of social presence. It was an essential step to deny private sphere. The guest’s spatiality here was seen as being with others in out-of-home places. So restaurant and saloons occupied the place of parlors. Searching for Iranian transformation like that model has reverse result. We have shown here that in Qajar small houses of Tabriz, there were no conceptual difference in comparison with maximalist houses while historical documents show no sign of development of out-of-home places for guests. The third pattern is the community houses that were seen as utopias of the project of modernity. From the view point of guests’ spatiality, this pattern is movement towards denying any distance between self and other so the stranger becomes host as well as guest. In utopist text of William Morris (News from Nowhere) such a position is articulated. It has been argued by many writers of western culture that it has been common pattern of medieval society that has been destroyed by bourgeois’ culture. If the utopia were to be realized then strangers should be accepted in common spaces without any exception and if the socialist utopia was going on then maximizing use of common facilities would be seen as an instrument to saving the community so any private guest should make use of common ones instead of host’s ones (the example of socialist Russia housing projects). Khanghah of Daravish in the Islamic word pursues such a pattern with the exception of absence of family i.e. these places where completely masculine spaces. So these could not be extended to dwelling patterns of traditional Iran. In Tabriz of Qajar there were no similar examples to multifamily apartments of socialists’ utopias of early 20th century as well as utopian community ones. The only close examples to utopian patterns of modern guests’ spatiality in Tabriz are rare hotels of late Qajar and a house (Rastgar) with a linear and multi-unit plan that cannot be undoubtedly a Qajar house. It is could be said that social analysis of guests’ spatiality of modernity is heavily based on resolving of dialectic of otherness in western society of 19 century. This study shows that real patterns of modernity for guest’s spatiality at home differs greatly from its counterparts of Qajar Iran and those of Qajar could be interpreted far more persuasively with traditional patterns than those of modernity. So now it is possible to put some query on the hypothesis that tells if there was not obligatory modernization project of Rezashah then there would be an innate Iranian Modernity. Full openness toward strangers embedded at the center of utopian views of intellectuals of modernity and has been at the focal point of modern utopias has no essential meaning in domestic culture of Qajar era of Iran because acceptance of guest as a member of family was so deep in cultural-spatial patterns of those people that modern utopian perspective of fading “otherness” in spatial arrangement of hospitality of home has no new message for that people. So it is conceivable that the theory of innate cultural permutation of Islamic and traditional lifestyle of Iranians without Rezashah’s projects cannot be easily confirmed for social history of Iran.

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Diathesis is one of the fundamental concepts in Islamic-Iranian medicine which has a special place in traditional Persian medicine; because the general principles in diagnosis of treatment and keeping healthy are expressed on the basis of the study of diathesis. Considering the diathesis and the placement of it in traditional Persian medicine, we find that this knowledge is settled based on the study of diathesis. Iranian architects have attempted to use it practically since many years ago, as a model in their architectural works. Among the buildings which have conformed to the model of diathesis of design, it can be referred to the Iranian bathroom architecture. Paying attention to the importance of faith and ethics on the health of the body and making it as the ground work for the health of the soul, Iranian bathroom architecture, that the religious and moral principles are the source of it, designed as an old-fashioned sample along to the health of body and the soul and Traditional-Islamic medicine instructions. Therefore, the peace a person gets after taking a bath has a direct connection with the practical concepts hidden in Iranian bathroom architecture. Looking at the function and the place of bathrooms to keep healthy and to excrete some of diseases we find that principles and apparent and practical structure of bathrooms is planned on the human diathesis. This article sets this fundamental principle forth for discussion: Islamic-Iranian traditional medicine as a model expresses some facts in relation to the body health which has been artistically reflected in designing the architecture of Iranian bathrooms. Hence the authors have attempted to recognize the therapeutic aspects in the texts which are relevant to Islamic period medicine such as contemplations and opinions of Immaculates in Teb-ol Reza (Imam Reza’s medicine), physicians and philosophers such as Avicenna in Kanon (Law), Farabi in Siasat-e Madineh (Medina’s politics), Guilani in Kholasat-al Hekmat Nasseri, Jorjani in Zakhireh Kharazmshahi, Kermani in Resaleh Dallakiyyah, Khorasani in Kholasat-al Hekmat, and many great thinkers so that they can investigate how the abovementioned concepts would be reflected in the architecture of the bathroom. The key question of the current research is this: what characteristics does diathesis have in traditional architecture of Iranian bathrooms?
In order to answer this question, a case-study method as well as compositional (combinational) strategies has been used. And in order to collect the data required, the field-dependent and library methods were applied. Afterwards, 10 samples of the architecture of Iranian bathrooms were selected, which are of high-quality values and can be considered in expressing the concepts which stem from the study of diathesis. Regarding the regional diversity of Iran, it has been attempted to select at least one sample from each region. What the present research ultimately emphasizes is to pay attention to the effect of Islamic-Iranian medicine’s physicians’ opinions as well as the degrees of health in the framework of two approaches: washing-cleanliness and being therapeutic recognizable in the architecture of Iranian bathrooms. Washing and cleanliness are revealed by massaging, cleaning and cure by using the model of diathesis, and its reflection in a communicative-service atmosphere and hierarchy (gradual change) as well as making balance (dynamism) which produce compatibility, gradual change in our body, and ultimately produce balance in human nature as well as architecture, leading to developing health. As the human physical and mental balances are gradually lost, retrieving such a balance in human diathesis and ego takes place gradually. For the same reason, gradual rites of bathing are compatible with the resemblance of nature system as well as human nature with the structure of quadratic elements of human diathesis as well as bathroom skeletal parts. Such concepts are recognizable as the criteria of designing in the works analyzed. Its structure has been made based on 4 main diatheses: heat and coldness, dry and wet, which are compatible with the 4 seasons and quadratic mucus of body as well as human lifetime days. The bathroom has been made in a quartet form or with 4 parts (the first part is heat and dry, the second is cold and wet, the third is heat and wet, and the forth is heat and dry). The aim of such structural and content similarities is to develop an environment which would be compatible with human nature to maintain the diathesis balance and the enduring health of body and soul.    

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In the history of architecture, since the architects sought to enter the light inside and as a result, its relationship with external conditions, the concept of transparency has been studied. Therefore, elements such as glass have been used to create transparency and entering the light. But because of lack of technical knowledge to achieve that goal, the less successes have been achieved. By the beginning of Modern architecture in the world, some new words come into the literature of architecture such as the theory of transparency in architecture. Actually transparency is an expression of the thoughts and ideals of Modern architecture in the shape of own self.
 On the other hand, deployment of transparency in the form of glassy architecture, created the base of criticism for its widespread use by critics of modernism. Colin Rowe and Robert Slutsky in the article “The Literal and the phenomenal transparency” presented an integral definition of transparency that could help Postmodern view about transparency. At the first, they classify the Literal transparency as the perceptual or spectacular one, and phenomenal transparency as the conceptual or readable one. Literal transparency actually refers to light permeability of materials and Interference indoor and outdoor spaces. A concept that could be considered as influenced by cubist painting techniques and aesthetics of Modern architecture.
The other statement of transparency, which is often used in the architecture of most of the world, is traction and appeal to create a sequence of spaces inside and outside the building. Which we can see the appearance of a perfect sample of it in Iranian architecture. In Iranian Islamic architecture that the valuable and exalted heritage of our ancients was the concepts of light and its different forms of that in wisdom, philosophy and art, not only before Islam but also after that.
The question is that how was transparency in Iranian Islamic architecture and what are conceptual differences between modern and postmodern architecture with Iranian Islamic architectural transparency. Transparency is among most important architectural issues that are rarely addressed. This importance is because of the comparison of some viewpoints about concept of transparency in the eras of Modern, Post-modern architecture and Iranian Islamic architecture to achieving principles of the formation of the concept and its types with aim to precise definition of structural concepts of objective and subjective.
The Article based on analyzing texts and collected data through librarian search and some documentaries. To narrow the scope of work, the evolution of transparency in the modern and post-modern movement. At first express types of transparency in modern architecture, postmodern and Iran›s Islamic architecture then study Comparative Comparison them and finally, explain and evaluate the transparency of Iran›s Islamic architecture.
This article expresses some kinds of transparency and divides it to Three Categories: Literal transparency, Phenomenal transparency and Semantic transparency and then analyses the philosophical and aesthetic based on architecture of modern, postmodern and Iranian Islamic architects. In this paper, we try to describe the features of transparency by considering of this parameter in modern architecture. After all, transparency in Iranian Islamic architecture is based on the concepts explained. With this method, the use of transparency in each of these eras has been explained and then used in a timeline, and finally examined the evolution of this application.
About achievement of this study to previous examples can be cited to this point what›s that Spatial transparency in the evolution of Iranian architecture introduced by Hadi Mirmiran, which means increased space and reduced material is on properties of Literal transparency more and based on the theory of modernism and is similar to Bruno Zevi,s view.
While results of this study, in addition to the above, in Iranian Islamic architecture, phenomenal transparency and semantic transparency are more and existence of major mental clarity (not objective). In the Iranian Islamic architecture and contrary to the last ones, we can give a hint, that the explanation of Iranian architecture with the modern architecture’s language instead of its Islamic and Iranian language is so wrong. Actually we ignore and connive at some parameters by this viewing. In fact, with dealing like visual material these concepts, a lot of deep cultural concepts in Islamic architecture will be ignored.
 

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Appropriate structural and physical design has been one of the climatic strategies of traditional houses in interacting with nature. Over many years, these houses have tested various types of designs and have now reached a stable structure and have obtained some reproducible principles. This way, not only have they affected the health of the users directly and positively, but also, they have prevented energy wastage, rectified the unhealthy conditions in internal spaces, reduced environmental crises, etc. These principles, however, have been disregarded in the structural aspects of spaces in the modern architecture. Bearing this in mind, the present study aimed to recognize the geometric and proportional patters as well as the standards being employed in the structures of central courtyard, winter halls, and the seasonal rooms designed based on the cold climate. The connections between various spaces were also investigated based on their structural features so that by comparing climatic criteria, we can get to a sustainable designing pattern based on the structural patterns. We can also recognize the most common nature-friendly spatial ratios in this region and make use of them to meet the needs of the modern era. In the current study, 12 traditional houses belonging to Qajar era were investigated. In so doing, the needed information was collected from the spaces affected by the cold climate via field observations and the obtained data were classified. Then using computational methods, logical reasoning, and qualitative as well as quantitative analyses, a series of geometric proportions and spatial relations were detected. The results of the analyses regarding the most common ratios, dimensions, and areas were indicative of the high compatibility of spatial patterns with the cold climate. More specifically, some spaces that are used for similar purposes in special seasons of the year have similar proportions and shapes. The differentiation between the spaces has only been limited to winter and summer. The details of the structures designed for winter have been attended to relatively more. Therefore, the structural patterns employed in the past can be used for designing buildings in the modern era. By doing so, we will be able to reduce most of the energy wastage.

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The issue of the ultimate goal in Islamic architecture, contrary to contemporary views, is not so vague, and to consider "divinity" as this goal would be less controversial. However, this term can take on very variable meanings, and the main issue of the present study is to refine the variable meanings and reach the correct framework from the perspective of Islam. This paper aims to study the role of nurturing architecture from new angles and make its connection with the spiritual dimension of human life clearer. In search of a new theory for reading the mosque in Islam, this paper first criticizes the aesthetic and epistemological approach to the role of the mosque from the perspective of the traditional text and as an approach that places the body or space of the mosque in the position of the spirituality and points out that it lacks the necessary authenticity from an Islamic point of view. Then, by proposing an "instrumental" approach to the role of the mosque in achieving the spirituality instead of a goal, the issue of the relationship between the concept of the mosque and the philosophical discussion of technology can be raised, which opens a new window to understanding the relationship between Islam and architecture. Therefore, while creating a new possibility to include Islamic principles in the design of the mosque, in terms of preventing religious distortions in the mosque and other religious spaces, it can also lead to a more effective approach. In this study, among the five architectural connections as a means of presence, the background connection of the most compatible situation with the Islamic requirements in the field of the mosque is advanced, the design consequences of which should be examined more carefully in the future.