Journal of Researches in Islamic Architecture

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In the Islamic architecture of Iran, meaning, aesthetics, shape and structure are four fundamental factors by an appropriate combination of them a traditional architect is able to manifest an image of metaphysical world on material world. A rational and integrated relation of these factors has put the Islamic architecture of Iran in an outstanding position. An important challenge of the modern architecture is the lack of an intergrated relation among its constituting factors. The main cause of this shortcoming is moving away from traditional roots and doctorines that has lead to the disintegration of defferent phases of design process and construction, changing architects education, and fast construction. In order to disclose the relation between metaphysical factors (meaning and aesthetics) and physical factors (function, form, geometry and structure) in architecture, it is first necessary to analyse cases that contain the relation in an outstanding way. For this reason, a number of majestic historical mosques, in which the manifestation of meaning in their form has been proved, have been studied. Literature on meaning, aesthetics, geometry and structure has been reviewed. Utilisation of the four factors in historical buildings of Iran has been explained. Relation among interfering factors in design process has been illustrated in the buildings. An algorithm for architectural design process in the modern world has been proposed in which the positions of the four factors have been defined.

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To explain the strategic plan to achieve a new Islamic civilization in its various fields and dimensions, a general and scientific structure must be exploited which in accordance with facts of existence from the universe and of human being.

This research believes that this general structure along with its entire steps, resources and the foundations of every single one of those steps has been discussed in depth and is infallible based on doctrines of the divine religion of Islam. Yet still, the structure can be achieved, explained and proven from a scientific, rational and divine dimension and can be further explained and analyzed because it entails facts of the universe (signs of existence) and human being (potential and actual talents, will, authority, works and course of descent and rise of human race) can be explained and analyzed.

The research method is based on areas and degrees of wisdom (logical reasoning) and quotations (words of God and traditions of the Imams - May peace be upon them) and it is descriptive, exploratory and interpretational.

The most significant accomplishment of the research is the explanation of the general structure of human processes, steps and its associated Islamic resources and in particular its bases and principles (strategic-conceptual) and solutions (applicability-practicality) in all steps from the perspective of the Islamic culture. Meanwhile, in each step misguided and incomplete contemporary western practices (modernization and ultra-modernism) are assessed and reviewed. The overall achievements of the research are applicable for all teaching, research and administrative topics and are particularly reliable for exploitation in the fields of art, architecture and urbanism.

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Today, there are a few dozens of historical index houses in the city Sabzevar. Reviews show that up until now, despite the presence of their special characteristics, variety and role, there have not been comprehensive studies about them but through the presence of valuable samples from various historical periods (Teymouri, Safavid, Qajar, Pahlavi), their exposure to destruction through changing the method of living, multiplicity of owners, migration and generally loss of attractions for today's life, reviewing these houses is necessary. Since most of the historical houses in Sabzevar are from the Qajar period, the purpose of this article is to read and recognize Qajari houses. The used research method is combined and the results obtained from the study show that Sabzevar's houses, with architectural specifications such as semi-hot and arid climate, have mostly been made as introvert houses and they can be divided to three types of the first, second and third period based on the features of architectural space, structure and decorations. Discussion of architectural typology has been proposed in some of the European countries since the late 11^th century. At first, this topic was treated in a very clichéd way and they reviewed categorization of buildings based on a mutual feature. Another one of methods of categorization at this time was dividing the buildings with mutual feature of their map. This method has many advantages, but unfortunately, by being drawn in one way of thinking, being caught up in a deterministic framework and linking historical process with deterministic materialistic views, they came to conclusion and the result of it is predetermined by considering the mentioned framework whereas in a study, in addition to the overall review, the results shall be obtained after the study and research.

Accurate identification and classification of various architectural types can be useful in understanding the space better, protecting it and also in achieving new methods of designing.

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Tabriz has an old history that thanks to its proper geographical and climatical condition. This geographical situation has been made Tabriz to a permanent habitat center. This city in the early centuries of Islam has extended on the central mosque, bazaar, square and government palace. In the year 663 A.H, Abagha Khan has moved the capital from Maragheh to Tabriz. In the Ilkhanid era except for a short time at the time of the monarchy Oljaito (Mohammad Khodabandeh) since the 703-716 A.H that Tabriz and Soltaniyeh were the capital simultaneously, at other times, Tabriz has been capital and the seat of government. At the time of Ghazan Khan has have the most architectural and urban changes. After Ilkhanids in the early of 8^th century, Jalayerian was also ruled this city and governed some parts of Iran. In the late 8^th century that Teimorian was ruled out Samarkand and Bokhara, Tabriz was continually important city and important political-cultural center And after that in the 9^th and 10^th A.H centuries and also in the Qoyunlus era till mid government of Shah Tahmasb (Safavid era) in the year of 962 A.H. Tabriz was the genuine capital city of Iran. Therefore with transferring the capital city from Maraghe by Abagha Khan to Tabriz in the Ilkhanid era, it becomes more than ever attractive for mystics, poets, saints and ministers from different parts of Iran and also neighbor countries. Also during these eras many travelers has visited Tabriz and have presented many useful information in the form of itineraries. These important people during their lives time caused to creation of some novel architectural spaces like: Khangah and Zavieh in the city that after the death of them we are witnessing the formation of the tombs and Hazireh as new urban spaces after Islam. We know that in different cultures, different approaches has taken to the deads And Iran after Islam, is the place that in which deals to burial and the death, tomb and in the following the cemetery has a special importance. In addition, cemeteries depending on the people who are buried there, take different spatial qualities and since the “undoubtedly the tomb is the most important monument after mosque in the Islamic era which has been seen in the most cities of Iran.” These novel spaces in many cases had an essential role in development or city construction. This process goes-on until the middle of Safavid government and reputation of Tabriz city as the capital has continued. According to thesis of this article the tombs of mystics, poets, saints and ministers could have significant effect in the development of urban structure of Tabriz city. Proving the thesis of this research, in addition to the existence of multiple tombs of these people that have been buried in different parts of this city, there are many reliable books like Rozat al-jinan by Hafez Hossein Kabalayi in the year 975 A.H, Rozat al-Athar by Molla-Hashri in the year 1101 A.H, Olad al-Athar by Seyyed-Mohammad Sadegh Tabatabayi Tabrizi in the year 1300 A.H and Manzar al-Oliya by Mohammad Tabrizi in the year 1315 A.H. We can present a rigorous classification from mystics, poets, saints and ministers according to a study of mentioned books to fit the 5 periods between 7^th to 10^th centuries. Also to ensure more, other small studies about the research subject is investigated named literature. Now the question of this article arises that: whether the Tombs of mystics, poets, saints and ministers have the effect in the development of urban structure of Tabriz city in the capital times of this city that’s Ilkhanid Era to Safavid Era? Therefore, the aim of this research is to investigate the effect of cemeteries in the development of urban structure of Tabriz city since seventh century to tenth century of hegira that coincides with Ilkhanid government to Safavid in Tabriz. For doing so, introducing books including Rozat al-jinan, Rozat al-Athar, Olad al-Athar and Manzar al-Oliya seems necessary. For fulfilling the research main goal, the data were collected by descriptive method using the liberary and field approach (implement) also the collected data were analyzed in analytical and comparative way. In order to respond to the research question, a method involving four steps was used: 1.classification of the people and cemeteries, 2.using manner of introducing the cemeteries in order to identify the Tabriz architectural and urban elements in the past, 3-referring to the travel books subjects in different periods and 4-adaptation of the former steps findings and responding to the research question.

The findings of this research revealed that cemeteries were effective factors in construction of Ghazanid fort in Ilkhanid period. Also, cemeteries of the famous people had a significant impact on development of some routes such as the connective route of the two complexes of Rabe Rashidi and Shanb Ghazan in the eastern and western parts of the city and location of some architectural outstanding elements like Dameshqiye building, Shah Hossein Valy shrine and Kamal Khojandi’s convent and consequently urban spaces such as Seyyed Hamzeh complex which is known as Magbarat al-Shoara. In addition, existence of Hazireh and aggregation of tombs have been led to the formation of famous cemeteries like Sorkhab, Gajil, Charandab and Qolle in the city of Tabriz.

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Islamic ethics as the controlling system of behaviors has defined the rights of an individual and society and Fiqh (jurisprudence) explains behavioral patterns in accordance with Shari›a (law). Given that each space is shaped according to behavioral pattern of its residents, the mechanism of interpretation and implementation of Islamic Shari›a is reflected in architecture and urban planning process of traditional cities and their environment is actually considered as an interaction between these sciences and planning and implementation process. Islamic ethics as one of the infrastructures of the Iranian Islamic civilization has played a strategic role. Purifying the conscience, providing mental and physical health, and removing human faults are the functions of ethics; however, social life is managed by law. Justice, according to many philosophers, and is regarded as the main basis of law. That is, the legislator must follow the rules of justice. Numerous violations in Iranian urbanism and agriculture along with changing the gardens and farms into residential, commercial, etc. usage result from the wrong infrastructure which has been developed by the decisions of High Council of Urbanism and Architecture and Artcile5 Commission. To improve general culture and to respect the laws and regulations associated with urbanism and architecture, first of all this framework and its forming factors which have legalized the purchase and sale of violations must be amended.
 

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In our country, research on architectural design process, is based on two main theoretical approaches; one is the system of Islamic theosophy, and the other is recent empirical studies on design methodology. The main problem here, is to find out the relationship between these two viewpoints, to attend the domain›s pathology, like misunderstanding and oversight of the position and order of theories, rootlessness of empirical theories, ambiguity of theosophical implications on design methodology, extremism and wastage in holism / serialism sides, and finally choosing one and putting aside the other. So the debate is on knowledge unity rejecting polysemy.   
The macro goal of this research is to find design process, conform to epistemology rules of theosophy, and the micro goal is to draft a comprehensive, existential, meaning rolled, and transcend schemata of design process, as a conceptual model. The practical goal is to comprehend the nature of design process, in order to nurture it. The importance of this inquiry is to avoid latitudinal contest of theories, and therefore wisdom unity and conformity of knowledge stages, in a comprehensive structure of knowledge as a result. The questions of this inquiry are:
o    On a descriptive objective: what is the designerly knowledge and how can we draw a schema of its process?
o    On a causative objective: how is the conformity of designerly cognition and its roots in the epistemological map?
o    On an alteration objective: possibility of a syntactic viewpoint and longitudinal conformity of epistemological theories, instead of latitudinal selection between them
o    The inquiry has no interpretive-historical objective
The research method is under the «transcendental Realism Paradigm» framework, which is programmed and followed by a retroductive strategy. In the research process an allegoric model is derived from transcendent theosophy of Molla-Sadra (as the cognition mechanism) and then this model›s mechanism, is checked with the empirical theories of design process (as eyewitness) to see the conformability.
In the first chapter, literature and precedents of the subject are presented. The epistemological paradigms are divided to categories of pantheism and humanism. The pantheist sector contains Masha, Eshragh, and Motealieh dispositions, and the humanist sector contains Sophist, Skepticism, Realism, Positivism, Relativism, Pluralism, Existentialism, Phenomenology, and Hermeneutics. Next the history of design studies and its methodology generations, are classified into three groups: the early analysis-synthesis generation, the concept-test generation, and the late hermeneutic generation. Then the research precedents are listed as different approaches of subject inquiry, followed by design process researches within Molla-sadra theosophy framework. Critiquing the precedents on theosophical cognition and comprehension and oversight of theories, a new strategy of inquiry is conducted. Retroductive inference, conformity as methodology of Molla-sadra, a two sided viewpoint to philosophical and empirical theories, and comprehensive modeling, are mentioned as new specifications of the research.  
Chapter two belongs to research design and contains realism paradigm, retroduction strategy, and the process of inquiry. Describing the Islamic Realism and Molla-sadra›s special contributions to it (that is mystic approach to knowledge besides the philosophical-logical one), conformity method as the truth finding theory of Molla-sadra is explained. According to this idea, every difference between theories does not mean controversy and the judgment of true and false, because the two sides might be two levels of a truth in our knowledge that may conform. Then the inquiry paradigm, Transcend Realism of Bhaskar which critiqued positivism and critical rationalism (induction and deduction), is introduced. This epistemology considers our knowledge in tree domains of feeling, imagination and intellect. The intellectual domain contains mechanisms and constructs, which underlie a phenomenon seen in nature. These mechanisms are conjectured as descriptive models that are rules and patterns, witnessed by empirical studies. The research strategy of such paradigm is called Retroduction, which uses allegoric models as hypothesis of a mechanism, being tested and proved by eyewitnesses.  
The next chapter (3) is on theoretical framework of hypothesis (model). Transcend theosophical system of Molla-sadra, is chosen to be the fundamental and generative mechanism of epistemology. The philosophical hermeneutic of Gadamer is also considered to be the epistemological background of empirical design studies, because of the comprehensive viewpoint. These two theories are conformable on the essence of creativity, two sided viewpoint, unity of knowledge, and transcend thinking. This is continued by modeling hypothesis as an allegoric descriptive model, which is a core-crust schema on design process.
Chapter four informs the data collection from references, and the discussion. The resource in cognition mechanism is epistemological system of transcend theosophy of Molla-sadra, while the resources on empirical design studies are: Donald Schon›s reflective practice, Nigel Cross›s desinerly ways of knowing, and Bryan Lawson›s designers thinking skills. This part discusses conformability of Molla-Sadra theosophy and empirical theories of design study, in ten theorems on epistemology ontology (kinds of wisdom) and epistemology itself (cognition process). Theorems are consisted of: 1-implicit & explicit knowledge 2-imagination/presentation/verification 3-the whole & the part 4-schema & detail 5-design process and cognitive levels 6-cognition levels, growth & expertise 7-consciousness & unconsciousness 8-reflective thinking/practicing 9-framing/solution-led/co-evolution 10-constructive/generative reasoning.
The last chapter concludes and draws inferences of the discussion. It is concluded that the cognition mechanism in transcendent theosophy of Molla-Sadra which was constructed and presented as a core-crust descriptive and allegoric model, has an adoptive methodological conformity, with the empirical theories of design study in holistic aspects. Empirical design epistemology also, could be deducted depth wise from Molla-Sadra theosophy. Therefore, existential theosophies and hermeneutic interpretation of design studies, are not adversary theories to choose between.
 

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Paying attention to the importance of square can be seen in architecture and organization of physical space of Iranian cities in the past, before Islam and also after that in Islamic urbanization. Saheb-Abad square of Tabriz, Shah square og Qazvin and Naghsh_e_Jahan square of Isfahan are samples of past squares which present power of governments and subtlety of governmental kings that build them. Based on recent researches theories,  Naghsh_e_Jahan square of Isfahan was built (at the age of first Abbas of Safavi kings, i.e. (998-1038 AH.), according to Saheb-Abad square of Tabriz which is built before Safavieh era and during Aq-Qounlou era (870-896 AH) and it was influenced by architecture of Saheb-Abad square of Tabriz and because remaining physical structure of Saheb-Abad complex of Tabriz is mainly related to buildings that were made during age of Qajar kings on the buildings of governmental complex of previous eras, acceptance of this assumption resulted in proposing renewing projects of Saheb-Abad with full imitation of now a days physical structure of Naghsh-e-Jahan which is exists now and without paying attention to original structure of Saheb-Abad and when it came to existence and when it was on its tip-top, in the past. Then in this research, based on both Saheb-Abad and Naghsh-e-Jahan research which are studied based on content analyzes historical-comparative guideline appearance, and step by step transformation, in the past. Finally, according to comparative study of mapped schema, recognize of similarities and differences of these two complex were found, both physically and functionally, in four time periods. The results indicate that there are the most common similarities in the history before the construction of the two square and the most differentials in their current state. In the course of historical evolution, two square are very similar in terms of functional and the types of uses than the physical dimensions. Also, the greatest point of physical distinction is the uncertainties of the Sahib Abad field, which has led to many changes and further decline of this collection up to the present.the complete acceptance of this assumption which Naghsh-e-Jahan of Isfahan is a similarity of Saheb Abad complexes of Tabriz, both functionally and physically, cannot be correct and it can be said that the overall structure of the Saheb Abad complex in the peak of its glory (the period of Shah Tahmasb Safavid) could have been the pattern of an urban space with various governmental-political, socio-cultural, religious, and sporting activities for the construction of the Naghsh-e-Jahan of Isfahan.

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Educational spaces in Iran took the formal identity of "schools" after "Nezamieh" education centers were introduced by Nezam-olmolk during the Seljukid period. Some structural elements such as cells, porches and courtyards, etc. were included in school buildings and a new kind of structural pattern emerged within them. However, enhancements of architectural techniques in the following historical periods as well as cultural, social and political facts and conditions did lead to some types of changes within the physical structure of school building elements in Iran.
The present paper assumes that physical structure of Iranian school buildings has experienced a line of evolution and enhancement from Seljukid era into Ghajar period. The present paper is aimed to explore the characteristics of architectural structure within Iranian Schools at each historical period as well as the trend of changes in those structures. The present paper uses a descriptive, analytical and case study methodology to collect and analyze the data. The data were first collected using library sources and through field studies in some cases. The data were initially presented using a descriptive method and then they were evaluated through an analytical and adaptive method. Study results show that school buildings in each historical period have evolved with certain physical structures while various changes have been applied in order to guarantee that residence place, education space and religious elements of the building are provided more desirably. As some reference, the cells were initially consisted of a single space and were in immediate contact with courtyards. Then they evolved into a multi-partition space which included small size porches and larders. Also porches were initially used as educational spaces and in some cases functioned as religious spaces. However, as the time passed, the porches transformed into wider and lighter spaces as they were needed to facilitate the education through larger rooms for more students. Meanwhile, the porches which were essentially places for worship, were replaced by vaults and naves as worship places within the school buildings. So the significance of worship spaces goes to such a height in Ghajar period that school buildings transformed into a mosque-school identity. As the schools were expanded, the process of admission and entrance to the schools was changed in some ways. In general, the results of the study proved the hypotheses stating that physical structures of school buildings have evolved from Seljukid period into Ghajar period in sense of characteristics of main building elements and the space configuration and patterns.  

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1. What architectural and spatial transformations has the Jameh Kabir Mosque of Tabriz undergone from its original construction to the Qajar period?
2. How can these transformations be plausibly reconstructed based on comparative architectural and historical analyses?

• The construction of a richly ornamented stucco mihrab during the Ilkhanid period,
• The northern expansion of the mosque under the Turkmen dynasty, and
• The transformation of the dual-dome system into a vault-and-arch (taq-o-cheshmeh) covering during the Qajar period.

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