Scientific Quarterly Journal

Reading the Street Landscape throughout Iranian Civilization

Volume 5, Issue 19
Winter 2025
Pages 6-15

Document Type : Original Research Article

Author

Assistant Professor, Department of Horticultural Science and Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Agriculture, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Iran.

Abstract
Street is a primary component of the establishment of cities. Given the continuity of its functional dimensions over time, it constitutes a key element in the appearance of the spatial organization and subsequently, of the urban landscape. The functional role of the street has been merged with its other roles, to be precise: the social, cultural, economic, or political; fact which caused the complexity of its existential dimensions. Thus, this role constantly oscillates on a spectrum between the function (access, passage) and the user’s experience in the urban space. The present paper is an essay on reading the street landscape to state its role in explaining the meaning of the city, by going through a historical trajectory around the cities of Iran from Antiquity until the end of the Safavid reign. The question of this research is How did the street, as a multidimensional element, influence the formation of the material and semantic aspects of Iranian cities before and after the emergence of Islam? The hypothesis of this research is The street landscape in Iranian cities has always had a ritual character and its role has been to conduct the nature of the urban landscape from a sacred fact toward a social one during the historical evolutions in Iran.

Keywords

Subjects
Abdi-Beig Navidi Shirazi, Z. (1994a). دوحه‌الازهار [Doha of flowers] (A. Minayi Tabrizi & A. Rahimof, Eds.). Danesh. [in persian]
Abdi-Beig Navidi Shirazi, Z. (1994b). روضه‌الصفات [Kindergarten of attributes] (A. Hashem-Oghli Rahimof, Ed.). Danesh. [in persian]
Ahari, Z. (2006). Chahar-Baq Boulevard: A new concept in urban space. Golestan-e Honar, 2(3), 48-59. http://golestanehonar.ir/article-1-68-fa.html 
Alehashemi, A. (2012). Qazvin Boulevard: A garden inside Qazvin. The Monthly Scientific Journal of Bagh-e Nazar, 9(22), 65-74. https://www.bagh-sj.com/article_1888.html?lang=en 
Andrade, N. J. (2013). Syrian identity in the Grecoroman world: Duraeuropos. Cambridge University Press.
Barati, N. (2003).نگاهی نو به مفهوم شهر از نظرگاه زبان و فرهنگ فارسی  [A new look at the concept of city from Persian language and culture]. Journal of Fine Arts, 13(461), 14 & 15. https://journals.ut.ac.ir/article_10655.html [in persian]
Clavijo, D. G. (1987). Hiustoria de gran tamorian, Narrative of the embassy of Guy Gonzalez de Clavijo to the court of Timour (M. Rajabnia, Trans.). Elmi Farhangi. (Original work published 1582)
Darmesteter, J. (2009). The Zend-Avesta Part 1 The Vendidad (M. Javan, Trans.). Valiasr. (Original work published 1880)
Dehkhoda, A. A. (1998). Dehkhoda Dictionary (Vol 10) (M. Moein & S. J. Shahidi, Ed.). University of Tehran.
Della Valle, P. (1969). Les Fameux Voyages De Pietro Della Valle [Pietro Della Valle’s travelogue]  (Sh. Shafa, Trans.). Elmi va Farhangi.
Etezadi, L. (2020). تاریخ معماری منظر [History of landscape architecture] [Manuscript, Shahid Beheshdi University]. Zarnaghsh. https://encr.pw/1GpbB [in persian]
Figueroa, G. D. S. (1985). L’Ambassade de D. Garcia de Silva Figveroa en perse [The Embassy of D. Garcia de Silva Figveroa in Persian] (Gh. Samiei, Trans.). Nashr-e NO. (Original work published 1667)
Flandin, E., & Coste, P. (1851). Voyage en Perse. Gide et J. Baudry. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e2-8f57-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99 
Gobineau, J. A. (1985). ‎Histoire des Perses‬ [History of Iranians in Ancient Times] (A. Khajenourian, Trans.). Elmi. [in persian] (Original work published 1869)
Haghighatbin, M., Ansari, M., & Pourjafar, M. R. (2010). Mashhad khiyaban (Street charbagh) during Safavid dynasty. Historical Researches, 1(4), 37-54. https://jhr.ui.ac.ir/article_16500.html?lang=en 
Hoseyny, H., Ansary, D. M., Tawoosy, D. M., & Moosavy Koohpar, M. (2007). The effect of the geographical factors on the foundation, development and destruction of Tabaran Tous city. MJSP, 11(1), 1-22. https://hsmsp.modares.ac.ir/article-21-6755-fa.html 
Huff, D. (1986). Sassanid cities (M.-R. Rassaf, Trans.). In M. Y. Kiani (Ed.), A general study on urbanization and urban planning in Iran (Vol. 4, pp. 176-204). Islamic Republic of Iran Airlines (Homa).
Karimian, H., & Seyedein, S. (2010). Darabgerd in transformation from Sassanian to early-Islamic era based on the archaeological evidences. The Monthly Scientific Journal of Bagh-e Nazar, 7(13), 733-88. https://www.bagh-sj.com/article_27.html 
Kiani, M.-Y. (1986). A general study on urbanization and urban planning in Iran. Islamic Republic of Iran Airlines (Homa).
MacLeod, C., & Mayhew, B. (2019). Ouzbékistan: Samarcande, Boukhara, Khiva. Olizane. 
Mansouri, S. (2007). The spatial organization of Iranian city in two periods: Before and after Islam based on the evidences of Kerman city evolution. The Monthly Scientific Journal of Bagh-e Nazar, 4(7), 50-60. https://www.bagh-sj.com/article_67.html 
Matthews, R., & Fazeli Nashli, H. (2022). The archaeology of Iran from the Palaeolithic to the Achaemenid Empire. Routledge.
Mohamadian-Mansoor, S., & Hatami-Majd, F. (2022). Investigation of the hypothesis of similarity and incorporation of mythological Varjamkard with adobe structures discovered in Hegmataneh Tepe. Pazhoheshha-ye Bastan shenasi Iran, 12(32), 249-275. https://doi.org/10.22084/nb.2021.24292.2334 
Nouri, A. (2019). Vandidad, the oldest book of Iranian law. Artemis.
Perrot, J.-F. (2013). The palace of Darius at Susa: The great royal residence of Achaemenid Persia (J. Perrot, Ed.; J. Curtis, Intro.; G. Collon, Trans.; D. Collon, Translation Ed.). I. B. Tauris.
Saeidnia, A. (1995). اندیشۀ شهرسازی در نخستین شهر اسطوره‌ای ایران  [Urban planning thought in Iran’s first mythical city]. In Articles of Iranian Congress of Architecture and Urban Planning (Vol. 2, pp. 475-497). Cultural Heritage and Tourism Research Institute. [in persian]
Sarfaraz, A. A., & Firouzmandi, B. (2002). Archeology and art of the historical periods of Mad, Hakhamaneshi, Ashkani & Sasani. Marlik Publication.
Sarfaraz, A., & Teimouri, M. (2007). Spatial organization of Sasanian Bishapur city. The Monthly Scientific Journal of Bagh-e Nazar, 4(8), 91-102. https://www.bagh-sj.com/article_713.html?lang=en 
Seyed-Sajadi, M. (1986). City and urbanization in the eastern part of the Iranian Plateau: Shah-e Soukhte. In M. Y. Kiani (Ed.), A general study on urbanization and urban planning in Iran (pp. 51-77). Islamic Republic of Iran Airlines (Homa).
Tafazoli, A. (1975). Minou-ye Kherad [The “Dana” questions set of the spirit of reason]. Boniyad-e Farhangi-e Iran.
Tavernier, J. B. (1957). Voyage en Perse [Traveling to Persia] (A. Nouri (Naz ol-Doleh, Trans., H. Shirani, Ed.). Ta’yid. (Original work published 1679)
Turkaman, E. B. (1972). Tarikh-e Alam-ara-ye Abbasi [History of Abbasi scholars]. Amirkabir.
Vambery, A. (1973). Arminius Vambery, his life and adventures. Cassel. https://books.google.com/books/about/%C3%81rminius_Vamb%C3%A9ry_his_life_and_adventur.html?id=vbaBEAAAQBAJ 
Varjavand, P. (1991). Urbanization and living the city in Iran. In M.-Y. Kiani (Ed.), A general study on urbanization and urban planning in Iran (Vol. 4, pp. 1-44). Islamic Republic of Iran Airlines (Homa).
Yousef-Jamali, M. K., & Salimi, B. (2008). Darabgerd from the past to the end of Sasanid age. Tarikh, 2(7), 151-181. https://www.sid.ir/paper/184813/en 
  • Receive Date 22 January 2025
  • Accept Date 04 February 2025