Journal of Researches in Islamic Architecture

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Human’s perception and cognition of city form based on his mutual interaction with the environment. The knowledge of urban design, which is aimed at creating a good environment for humans, tries to identify ways of deepening the relationship. It has mostly utilized the achievements of environmental psychology, but the notion of perception, as an epistemological issue, has its conceptual roots in other cognitive domains such as philosophy. Philosophy can be considered the origin of conceptualization of perception while this notion has suffered from the inattention of urban designers. The present research aimed to make maximum use of the viewpoints of Iranian philosophers on the notion of perception to identify productive achievements of philosophical opinions in this regard, including those that are applicable to urbanknowledge. It tried to attain this goal by drawing comparative analysis between philosophical achievements and those of environmental psychology. In this study, the notion of perception was explored and investigated based on content (including issues based on the content of perception) and procedure (including issues based on its procedural structure and its design in urban design) in the following two cognitive fields: philosophy and environmental psychology. The effectiveness of the use of philosophers referred to in each section was assessed as well. The present manuscript adopts an interpretive (non-positivistic) approach and uses the logical reasoning method to perform a comparative assessment of the viewpoints of two areas of knowledge. Research findings were tested using the Delphi method (theoretical saturation) and the principle of research. This study aimed to answer the following questions: How are the thoughts of Iranian philosophers effective for perception as compared to environmental psychology? How can the opinions of Iranian philosophers be used for explaining the nature of structure of the perception process and its application to urban design? Among Iranian philosophers of Islamic eras, the theories of the following famous philosophers have had the most contribution to the growth of philosophical movements in Iran: Avicenna, Sohrevardi and Mullasadra. Research findings revealed that application of the thoughts of Iranian philosophers is useful for clarification of the nature of perception and its contents as well as refinement of the structure of perception and its phases. The process of perception has the following levels with respect to philosophy: sensory perception, imaginary perception, illusive perception and rational perception. Each of these phases is differentiated from other levels using a constructive factor. Each phase also has a specific function and product. The most important issues derived from the opinions of philosophers are presented in the following table. The research adopted an interpretive approach (instead of a positivist approach) to the analysis of contents of texts. It also studied the viewpoints of the aforementioned two cognitive Results of comparison and integration of the two theoretical areas showed that environmental perception is a “subjective and objective process [12]”, which results from the interactive (mutual) relationship between the human and environment. This process has a dynamic and progressive nature. It depends on human’s constant growth and his mental construct. During the perception process, the mental image resulting from the influence of the environment is re-created to demonstrate the true essence of the environment. The perception process is composed of distinctive steps and various functions which are classified in the following three groups: reception and selection (emotional perception) organization and preservation (imaginary perception) and interpretation and signification (rational perception). In addition, numerous factors (human and environmental) influence the process and mechanism of perception in the form of stable dynamic factors.

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Despite many scholars in various domains including scientific, academic, professional and political fields talking about “Islamic city” and “Islamic ideal city” (Utopia), there is not a specific definition for “Islamic city” based on sacred Islamic texts. In other words, a variety of definitions and attributes of the “Islamic ideal city” are spread in texts based on different backgrounds and study domains of researchers. However, it seems that the appropriate definition for the “Islamic ideal city” as well as its essential and main attributes should be derived from the Islamic fundamental sacred texts, especially from the Holy Quran.

Moreover, to explain and clarify the definition of any phenomenon, its main attributes should be recognized and classified. The fundamental attributes for the Islamic ideal city include “foundations”, “pillars”, “ideal model”, “characteristics” and “principles” which should be derived from the Holy Quran. Indeed, this article endeavors to discover and recognize these attributes for the Islamic city by benefiting the Quranic teaching, with which the Islamic ideal city can be defined.

In other words, the basic hypothesis of the article is: “attributes and definition of Islamic City (Islamic Utopia) can be derived from the Holy Quran.”  Obviously, considering the comprehensiveness, everlasting and universality of Islam (and its Holy book: Quran) the definition and attributes of the Islamic city are fundamental and essential for all times and all places but their manifestations in different places and eras are subjected to cultural issues, environmental conditions, economic situations, available technology and other conditions of the specific era and place.

The article responds to the following questions:

1. What is the research method for recognizing the main attributes of the Islamic city from the Holy Quran?

2. What is the definition of Islamic City?

3. What are its main attributes according to Quranic teachings?

According to the background of different parts of the study and its issues, a variety of research methods such as discovery, commentary, deduction and analysis will be used.

To explain the manner of achieving the main goal of the study, it is useful to bring about a brief explanation about the main issues recognized from the Holy Quran.

As mentioned above, there is not an agreed definition for the very important term of “Islamic city.” It seems that the best and the most appropriate definition for “Islamic city” should be derived from the basic Islamic sacred texts, especially from the Holly Quran. The first stage in proposing the definition of this term is recognition of its foundations, definition of its pillars, its paradigm, its attributes and classification of its principles.

There are essential and important points which should be considered in Islamic built environment:

1. Islamic architecture and urban design need to be based on specific Islamic theoretical bases derived from Islamic sacred texts.

2. The Holy Quran is the main source of criteria and guidance for all Muslim activities including Islamic architecture and urban design and their theoretical bases.

3. The Holy Quran does not directly indicate details but timeless values and principles are indicated for creating an appropriate built environment for Muslim life.

4. Although attributes of Muslim acts and products should be derived from the Holy Quran, the main questions are:

- How can Muslim benefit from the Holy Quran in the field of architecture and urban design?

- What are the main principles and values and their original models which have to be considered in Islamic architecture and urban design? and

- Are there any relevant comments and basic principles and values on Islamic architecture and urbanism in the Holy Quran?

This study has been done with the attempt to respond to these important questions. It will endeavor to recognize and introduce those verses of the Holy Quran which indicate attributes of the Islamic built environment for Muslim life. Indeed, a series of principles and their application will be presented in order to design and identify those Islamic architecture and urban design by which Islamic built environment can be demonstrated.

The subjects and issues which clarify the attributes of these principles can be classified in seven categories:

I. Islamic Principles and Values:

The Islamic Divine Book indicates many principles and values which should be considered in all Muslim acts and activities. These principles and values are the main concern of Muslims and should predominate over their activities and include: tawhid, tasbih, dhikr, ibrah, islah and so on.

II. Universal Principles and Values:

Universal principles need to be considered in Islamic architecture and urban design. The relevant values and principles are introduced by indicating the reference verses of the Holy Quran. Justice, balance, hierarchy, truth, beauty, freedom and so on are the most important of universal principles.

III. Attributes of Allah's Acts

According to the Holy Quran, Man is the vicegerent of God on earth. Therefore attributes of Man's acts should be similar to the attributes of God's acts. Human who is the vicegerent of God must represent those qualities and seek the best way to creation and maintenance of a suitable environment for life and development of the earth, and his (or her) actions and activities must also be harmonized with the universal principles established by God. In other words, attributes of Allah's acts (as an original and basic model for human activities) are explored and introduced in this section by paying deep attention to the Holy Quran.

IV: Nature and Natural Elements

Man lives and acts on earth by benefiting from nature and natural elements. Recognition of spiritual meaning and material benefits of nature and natural elements are two important points which should be considered in human activities and relationships between man and nature. The spiritual and symbolic meaning of natural elements and their relationships with Man and his architecture and urban design are recognized and introduced by considering relevant verses of the Holy Quran.

V: Regulation of Social Relationships

The fifth section will deal with Man and his relationship with the society and those attributes by which a Muslim society can be manifested. Therefore, those verses of the Holy Quran that have expressed the attributes of Muslim society (ummah) and the effects of these attributes on Muslim architecture and urban design are discussed in this section.

VI. Ethics Islamic Values

Islamic teaching has introduced many moral values including two main parts: those that should be respected, and those which must be avoided. An appropriate city for Muslim life has to help people to live in the city according to these moral values.

VII. Attributes of the Built Environment

Those verses of the Holy Quran which indicate the elements and attributes of the built environment as well as their relationships with human beings have been gathered in this category.

VIII. Architectural and Urban Elements

The Holy Quran indicates many architectural and urban elements by which some Islamic architectural attributes can be recognized. This category includes the relevant verses that indicate suitable or unsuitable attributes of architectural elements which may contribute to identification of Islamic architecture and urban design.

Essential, basic and timeless principles for Islamic architecture and urban design will be flourished by paying deep attention to those verses of the Holy Quran which are collected here. These concepts, elements and words are related to one or more of the seven items mentioned above, such as Muslim society (individual, family, and neighbors), Muslim architecture, nature, natural elements, architectural timeless principles, symbols and signs and other relevant subjects. Indeed, this index is so comprehensive as to be used by not only architects and urban designers but also artists, environmentalists, social scientists and so on.

“Wa ma tawfiqi illa billah: And my success can only come from Allah” (The Holy Quran,11:88 )”

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It is clear that each community should be have the specific urbanism science. Science localization is an obvious matter. This matter has motivated Iranian researchers, in urbanism field, to naturalize urbanism science having been imported to Iran. One method for producing or indigenizing urbanism texts in Iran, especially in recent years, is Utilization of Iranian-valuable texts. There are high valuable-native texts that could be reused for compilation new texts in urbanism field. So far, urbanism researchs have been done that inspired from Iranian-valuable text, such as "Nahj_al-Balagha", "Shahnameh of Ferdowsi", "Hafez's Divan", "Mosibatname of Attar", "Nasir Khusraw's Safarnama", "Haft-Peikar of Nezami" and "Ibn Kaldun's Moghadame", but none of these researchs were expressed a systematic method. However, this article suggests a specific method to use old texts for creating new urbanism texts. In other words, the main aim of this article is presented an efficient method for Using the Iranian's-Valuable Texts in order to compile new urbanism texts. In this article, "Islamic ethical texts" have been selected for better cognition of suggested method and as a case study too. Ethical texts don't directly mention about urban and urbanism, while explain the best ways of life and relationships in societies. Three questions are intended to be answered here, which are following bellow: 1. What is the proper method of using the Iranian's-Valuable Texts for writing the new urbanism texts? 2. How this method  would be applied in different ethical texts? and finally, 3. which kind of urbanism texts would be written by this method?  Therefore, it can be said that this paper is a methodology article.
The usage of primary text for creating new text is a theory that is called "Intertextuality". However, Intertextuality has not been used here. Because it is not coincident to Iranian culture. A native technique for doing this research is needed. Hence, after many researches among the Iranian techniques, the suitable technique has been found which had called the science of rhetoric (Balaghat) and the science of rhetorical embellishment (Badi). There were about sixteen literary techniques and figures of speech in Balaghat and Badi science. But only one of them, "Eghtebas" or "adaptation", has been selected as the chosen method in this article, as it has the most complete definition in compare to fifteen remained figures. furthermore, it has become quite operationally in other fields as literature and art. The first step in adaptation is selection of the original text. In this regard, it's necessary to consider somethings such as being valuable of the first text, similarity between the culture of the first text and  the new one, timeless and placeless contents of the original text and finally, convertible subject of the original text to the second text. Texts with content of "Islamic ethics" have been selected as a subject of old-valuable text which have the whole of mentioned considerations.
In the theoretical part, two subjects are defined: The ethical texts and different types of Eghtebas. The ethics have an old and strong precedence in Iran's history. The goal of ethical texts is personality prosperity and after that social and urban prosperity. Four different Islamic ethical texts are introduced. These four types are based on four-different definition about ethics. They are included: 1-Mystisim ethics, 2-philosophy ethics, 3-narative ethics and 4- literary ethics. "Mysticism ethics texts" are based on "Intuition". "Philosophy ethical text" are base on "wisdom", "Narrative ethical text" are based on revelation and "literary ethical texts" are based on "expediency". Then, different kinds of Eghtebas are explained. In major division, Eghtebas has three different types; "dramatic changes", "moderate changes" and "no changes". In minor division of Eghtebas, "dramatic changes" are included: "Re-created", "Revision", "Using title" and "Amiq". Also "moderate changes" are included: "Re-writing", "Selective writing" and "Abridgment".
 
The results answer to three questions that previously mentioned.
-Firstly, four kinds of Eghtebas are explained in relation with four ethical texts by using the inference and logical reasoning method. The new texts of urbanism would be adopted base on the ethical texts. It seems that almost all species of the Eghtebas species are usable for the four types of ethical texts. Althoug, their relation has been shown with "suitable", "unsuitable" and "allowable" position. For every type of the ethical texts, there is a more appropriate Eghtebas that is included: "Re-created" for usage from "Mysticism ethics, "Revision" for "literary ethics", "Re-writing" for "Philosophy ethics" and "Selective writing" for "Narrative ethics".
-Secondly, the writer of urbanism text can extract word, meaning, subject, writing form and type of language from the original text and reuse them with three positions of "no changes", "dramatic changes" ("Re-created", "Revision", "Using title" and "Amiq") and "moderate changes" ("Re-writing", "Selective writing" and "Abridgment") in urbanism text.
-Finally, the new urbanism texts can have different topics such as theoretical and philosophical foundations, normative theories, qualitative features, utopia and urbanism history.