Journal of Researches in Islamic Architecture

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omidvari S, hamzenejad M. A Comparative Study of the Concept of "Privacy" in the House of Islamic Countries in the Middle East (Case Study: Houses of Isfahan, Sanaa, Damascus). JRIA 2022; 10 (3) :145-168
URL: http://jria.iust.ac.ir/article-1-1427-en.html

Respecting family privacy, as well as guests, and separation of these two domains of life, is particularly significant in Islamic households, and its inception and manifestation in architecture have varied based on climatic, geographical, and cultural contexts. A study of privacy practices in the homes of different Islamic countries exemplifies this variability. With this aim, this study examines three patterns of houses in three cities with Islamic antiquity and origin. The descriptive-analytical method was employed in this paper to investigate the concept of privacy and the examination of how it displays itself in these three modules. This research seeks to determinehow the concept of «privacy» manifest various forms and appearances in different lands depending on different cultures and geographies. Hence, the concept of privacy has been investigated by researching the behavioral patterns and typology of dwellings in three Islamic cities including Isfahan, Sana›a, and Damascus.The separation of private and public spaces has been the most visible embodiment of privacy in these homes. Due to the extension of the home on one level, the separation of the visitors› spaces from the family occurred in the houses of Isfahan through the separation of the yards and spaces surrounding the yards. Owing to the peculiar climatic conditions in Damascus and the extension of spaces on the first floor to get the desired wind, it was feasible to divide the privacy in the main residences by dividing the different floors. According to the region›s unique geographical conditions, including the presence of rocky land, and, on the other hand, the region›s specific security conditions, privacy in Sana›as’ homes has been accomplished through the distribution of spaces on separate floors of the house. This article is based on the research hypothesis that there is a link between the emergence of privacy in Islamic homes and the status of «ecology - nature and man,» which includes various climatic, geographical, and cultural contexts; while testing the research hypothesis, it reveals that the region›s environment has played an important role in the emergence of various manifestations of privacy, and the extent of this privacy has also varied in these three case studies.