Journal of Researches in Islamic Architecture

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One of the issues in theory field of architecture especially in Islamic architecture which has been considered in academic assemblies in recent decades is the field of symbolism and its different approaches. Basically symbolism is one of the important features of Islamic architecture, to the extent that some scholars in Islamic architecture believe that symbolism is necessary to fulfill this kind of architecture. This article deals with the problem of what is symbol and generally sign in Islamic architecture and consequently, how the symbolism can be implemented in Islamic architecture. The purpose of this article is explaining different approaches that Muslim architects used for symbolism in their works meanwhile with explaining the nature and characteristics of each of these approaches, lessons would be learned for future symbolism in Islamic architecture. To illustrate the problem of this article, a hybrid method consisting of logical-argumentation research and qualitative content analysis research is used meanwhile the method for gathering data in this research is documents studies. The theoretical foundation of this research is based on Islamic wisdom so the research results have enough competence for the application in Islamic architecture. According to these results, in addition to credit architectural landmarks, there are genetic signs which can be manifested in various architectural components such as geometry and form and symbolism in Islamic architecture requires attention to both these two types of signs. Using these two types of signs, two main approaches are available for symbolism in Islamic architecture which is inductive and deductive symbolism. The first approach is based on sensory tools while the second one is often based on rational and intuitive tools. In this paper, meanwhile these approaches are explained, several examples will be presented for each of them.

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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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“Islamic-Iranian Model of Architecture” is the strategic scape proposed for future of architecture of Iran. So guiding higher education courses towards this goal could be seen as their mission. In this respect and among architectural graduation courses the course of “architectural technology” has the potential to take leading place because it is attached directly to institute of technology as progressive force of the world today. But this may be its weakness as well as the technology tends to deny any locality in its nature. In its syllabus the current architectural technology course has been ill-attached to cultural priorities. So most recently a two-credit unit is added to its content called “Wisdom of art and technology in architecture”. It seems that the main mission of this class is to describe the technology from the view point of Islamic Wisdom so that prepare an appropriate theoretical stand for architectural technology students. This article is aimed to draw a conceptual framework for technology within Islamic system of world-view. So at first it is tried to locate religious view amongst context of philosophy of technology. In this respect the four-part categorization of Carl Mitcham is taken as main framework of discussion where technology is seen from four directions: physical products, types of knowledge, forms of procedures and goals. He makes a differentiation between religious technology, craft technology and scientific ones. To make a proper relation between Islamic views and current philosophy of technology another division of Mitcham is also taken into account: humanities views versus engineering ones. Humanities philosophy of technology refers to those attempts of philosophers who try to make descriptive insights to essential qualities of man-made tools so the traditional branch of Hikmat (philosophic work of Muslims) can be interpreted as a kind of engineering philosophy of technology. These philosophic analyses try to make a spectrum of creative force from God to human and describe why all man-made world is related to unity of the world. There is no obvious critical debate among traditional philosophic works of Muslims. Three subdivision here are Mash’a’ philosophy of Farabi and Ibn-e-Sina, Ishraq of Sohravardi and the composite reading of Molla Sadra that their influences on debate of technic are respectively considered in Ehsa-o-loloom (Farabi), FotovvatNames (unknown authors) and Resaleh-Senaeieh (Mirfendereski). The critical stand point of humanities branch could be traced among some current attempts of Islamic intellectuals who are originally affected by western critical views. These works are categorized in three groups: social oriented ones are those who see some weakness in Islamic society relation with new technology but put the blame on Muslims’ social approach not modern technology. The so-called Islamic enlightment throughout 150 recent years pursued this way. Among this group Ali Shariati’s thesis of four human’s prison is studied here. The second approach that could be called new-realism that is affected originally by works of Islamic cleric Allame Tabatabaii and then rational positivism of Poper is mainly known with name of Abdolkarim Soroosh who after a modest criticizing of modern technology without denying its positive effects, puts self-protection and independent will towards non-consumerism society as main tool for damping negative effects of new technology. The third approach is a Heideggerian one merged with intuitive school of Sohravardi and Ibn Arabi. Its proactive leader was seyyed Ahmad Fardid and until now has its own followers. In terms of technology this approach is more Heideggerian than Islamic and sees the rescue from evil force of modern technology unavailable unless a great change occurs in in human ontological world.
All six approach described here have some basic weaknesses for current situation either from descriptive view or from critical perspective especially in terms of architectural technology problems. So a new approach is designated here that looks for a fundamental map of relation of three major players: Islam, Human and Technology. Three keywords are used to reach to a basic platform for the debate: humanized Idealism (Kamal), ethical duty orientation (Taklif) and intellectual religious scrutiny (Ejtehad). The first term (Kamal) makes the main criteria of human change in the natural world and describes why the God (Allah) not only allowed the mankind to make changes in nature but also wanted him to do so. But Kamal is at the same time a restrictive term in Quranic view because it makes dependence among all creatures so that the growth of them is linked to each other.  This semi ethical meaning of Kamal is strengthen by more ethical concept of Taklif. Taklif in Islamic context in contrast to Kantian sample is not an ultra-real one but is a deep real and objective phenomena that draws brilliant lines between various rights and duties of not only humans but also all creatures. Here four basic types of Taklif in Islamic view are used to make the main model of ethical evaluation of technology that are four responsibility of human: responsibility for Allah, for the self, for the others and for the environment. Each of them has its own content in Islamic context and has a specific relation with technology that makes them very appropriate for the aimed model-making. Here otherness of every four is considered priory to unity of the “I” and them. So the responsibility is definable and evaluable. Finally this new approach is summarized in a table that can be used for weighting technological inventions in architecture.This table views every technological changes from to basic point: 1. If the technology is harmful for any of the for basic rights. 2. Whether it is generative for the four human relations or not. All evaluations are linked to the Islamic life style but the models of this text can be seen as independent from Islamic context as well.

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If we consider the main mission of architects to be "organizing the place of human life in the context of the environment", then understanding "man and the environment and the relationship between the two" will be the basis of their design decisions. This knowledge includes both areas of "beings and musts" that if it is based on "intellect and revelation", the resulting architectural principles can be rational and Islamic, and the architectural works based on it can also be called "Islamic architecture". So far, various views on Islamic architecture have been proposed, the origins of which can be categorized from two sides. On the one hand, Islamologists have moved towards the principles and principles of architecture by using Islamic sources, and on the other hand, architects and urban planners have left their specialized position in search of Islamic architectural principles by referring to these sources. This research begins with the aim of proposing a "unifying and efficient" structure to explain the relationship between "architecture and Islam" and seeks a comprehensive model for combining and composing the components of the two categories. Our question is, "How can Islamic teachings be used comprehensively and practically in architecture?" The direction of the research is that while explaining the two categories of "Islam and architecture" with the method of content analysis and logical reasoning, an attempt is made to compile the basic concepts of these two categories by modeling. The research findings indicate that Islamic teachings can be classified into three areas: "theoretical and practical wisdom and Additional wisdom". Architecture can also be explained from three perspectives: "systemic, philosophical, strategic", the common chapter of which is the four main pillars in architecture. The combination of these two categories (three fields of Islamic wisdom and four components of architecture) provides a good capacity to organize a "school of Islamic architecture". The result is a tabular structure with 40 cells, the content of which must be supplemented by the teachings of Islamic wisdom, and can be useful in "guiding Islamic architectural research." The result of the research will be to present a unifying model to the set of views in the form of a relatively comprehensive structure, which is one of the preconditions for the formation of the "Islamic-Iranian school of architecture" on the eve of the second step of the revolution.

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