DOCSLIB.ORG

Tehran's Soundscape As a Contested Public Sphere: Blurring the Lines Between Public and Private

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Tehran's Soundscape As a Contested Public Sphere: Blurring the Lines Between Public and Private OIS 3 (2015) ± Divercities: Competing Narratives and Urban Practices in Beirut, Cairo and Tehran Nahid Siamdoust Tehran©s Soundscape as a Contested Public Sphere: Blurring the Lines between Public and Private <1> A cacophony of horns, the sound of the ʿazan (prayer call) from minarets, dance music blaring from passing SUVs, broken sounds of a street musician©s fiddle, hip-hop emanating from a small shop, drivers shouting curses at one another, the signature tune of a radio news programme puncturing the air from a taxi parked curbside, a megaphone from a pick-up truck calling for scrap metal, pop diva Homeyra©s tantalizing cadences soaring above the street noise from a car stuck in traffic, echoing a bygone era, Islamic prayers from a multi-coloured shrine on the sidewalk honouring a recently deceased, the frantic whistles of a traffic officer ¼ these are some of the sounds that come to mind when I think of Tehran©s soundscape. It is chaotic and diverse, and represents the multitude of public and private threads that make up the city©s auditory fabric. <2> Although the public sphere is policed according to the governing bodies© ideology, political interests and standards of morality, Tehran©s soundscape is a living, vibrant demonstration of how individuals are able to invade the public aural arena via semi-private spaces and to stretch the bounds of the public space with insertions of the private, creating a public soundscape that is contested and heterogeneous. The politicization of all aspects of life in the Islamic Republic has created an environment in which individuals often take positions ± in minute and subtle ways ± that give them some control over the construction of their own subjectivities within the pervasive authoritarian context. This, I argue, has meant that rather than contributing to a greater bifurcation of the public and private spheres into two separate realms, as is often claimed, the circumstances have given rise to a public sphere imbued to a considerable extent by that which is not supposed to be public, and a private sphere that is heavily coloured by the public/political concerns of daily life. Within this realm, music has been especially instrumental in blurring the lines. Defining terms – Private vs. Public <3> Before continuing with a discussion about the blurring of the public±private binary, it is useful to attempt to define the terms "private" and "public" in the Iranian context. <4> Because of the state©s forceful incursion into private spaces and its appropriation of the public sphere, it is tempting to discount the existence of any real private sphere or, vice versa, to describe everything as Lizenzhinweis: Dieser Beitrag unterliegt der Creative-Commons-Lizenz Namensnennung-Keine kommerzielle Nutzung-Keine Bearbeitung (CC-BY-NC-ND), darf also unter diesen Bedingungen elektronisch benutzt, übermittelt, ausgedruckt und zum Download bereitgestellt werden. Den Text der Lizenz erreichen Sie hier: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/de andaruni (the inside area in traditional Iranian architecture that secludes women even further within the home), as Masserat Amir-Ebrahimi has done, describing the public sphere as a metropolitan andaruni where behaviour (in particular women©s) is strictly controlled under the guise of protection.1 <5> As Hannah Arendt has argued, a central aim of an authoritarian political system is to limit the private sphere, and in a more blatant form of Foucault©s panopticon ± which in his analysis applies to all modern states, not only authoritarian ones ± to monitor and discipline all aspects of citizens© lives.2 But regarding everything as a metropolitan andaruni, and extending the private sphere all the way from the innermost domestic space to the streets of Tehran, prevents us from seeking definitions that could more clearly delineate the nuances of these spheres. What is entailed in the "private" and what do we call "public"? Do all aspects of private, social and political life fall neatly within one of the registers of this binary? <6> Strictly ± and physically ± speaking, the private sphere encompasses the domestic sphere, and within this sphere the andaruni exists in more traditional households. More loosely, the private includes functions where all those who attend are invitees. Beyond this, the private entails such semi-private spaces as cars, very small shops, and the personal space around individual bodies in public spaces. <7> In Islam, Mohsen Kadivar writes, "The terms ©private© and ©public© ¼ occur neither in the Qurʿ an nor the traditions conveyed from the prophets and the imams. Islamic jurisprudence does not recognize these terms either." Kadivar goes on to explain that the available literature on Islam assigns three meanings to the word "private," namely, that which is personal or exclusive to the person, that which one would rather keep concealed and protected from others, and that over which the individual should exercise exclusive authority and control.3 These terms are relatively undefined, but give a sense that there is a wide latitude for what the private can include in an Islamic framework. <8> In a political sense, the private also embraces opinions and acts that are not publicly tolerated ± basically all that James C. Scott calls the "hidden transcript." In contrast to the "public transcript," which is authorized by the dominant power, "every subordinate group creates, out of its ordeal, a ©hidden transcript© that represents a critique of power spoken behind the back of the dominant."4 Politically, the "hidden transcript" is that which 1 See Amir-Ebrahimi, Masserat, "Conquering Enclosed Public Spaces", in Cities, vol. 23 (2006), no. 6. 2 See Arendt, Hannah, The Origins of Totalitarianism (Berlin, 1951). 3 See Kadivar, Mohsen, "An Introduction to the Public and Private Debate in Islam", in Social Research, vol. 70 (2003), no. 3. 4 See Scott, James C., Domination and the Arts of Resistance : Hidden Transcripts (New Haven, CT and London, 1990). Lizenzhinweis: Dieser Beitrag unterliegt der Creative-Commons-Lizenz Namensnennung-Keine kommerzielle Nutzung-Keine Bearbeitung (CC-BY-NC-ND), darf also unter diesen Bedingungen elektronisch benutzt, übermittelt, ausgedruckt und zum Download bereitgestellt werden. Den Text der Lizenz erreichen Sie hier: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/de most people readily know but cannot express freely outside the private sphere without some risk.5 <9> On the other side, then, public spaces are those spaces outside the domestic sphere whose purpose is for public use and interaction. Public activities include the interactions between private individuals that take place within the public realm or are for public use or purpose. So, for example, tutorials or classes between teachers and students, even within a private home, can be defined as public and have public ramifications if problems should ensue that are of public concern. Commercial transactions between private individuals are public and will be regulated by the public legal system should there be disagreements or theft. Relations between people and state authorities are also public. <10> However, the parameters of the "public" and the "private" are conditioned within the current Iranian context ± as Nazih Ayubi has argued for Arab societies ± by the government©s view of ethics as a collective and not a private matter.6 Islamic governments often see it as within their remit to intervene in people©s private spheres such as personal clothing and individual conduct within the public sphere, and even their domestic spheres. During Iran©s early post-revolutionary decades, state auxiliaries regularly raided private homes on suspicion of alcohol consumption or the possession of "illicit" entertainment material. But as Kadivar shows in his article examining the barriers between public and private, Islam and its legal system, the Shariah, attach great importance to individual privacy, even maintaining that sins committed in private ± as long as there is no harm to others ± should not be declared publicly and can be repented of privately to God. There is an oft- repeated anecdote about the second Caliph, Umar bin Khattab, who peeked into a private home, witnessed a sin and started admonishing the man inside. The man responded that if he had committed one sin, the Caliph had committed three, namely, looking into a private home, investigating another person©s fault, and entering a private home without permission. The Caliph is said to have asked for forgiveness and left. The sanctity of the private sphere is highlighted in this story.7 <11> On the other hand, the Islamic principle of "Commanding Good and Forbidding Evil" requires all Muslims to speak out against wrong acts in the public sphere, and even to oppose such acts physically if necessary. Hence, while great value is attached to the right to privacy, there is a strong demarcation between the private 5 Based on Jürgen Habermas©s analysis, the private also includes the private interests of special groups. The interests of civil society ± those segments of the population that engage in the public sphere for higher collective causes ± can be categorized as private until they become recognized as public, as a result of their magnitude and reach. These groups work to bring that which may be considered private or special interests into the public realm. See Habermas, Jürgen, The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere (Cambridge, MA, 1991). 6 See Ayubi, Nazih, "Rethinking the Public/Private Dichotomy: Radical Islamism and Civil Society in the Middle East", in Contention, vol. 4 (1995), no. 3. 7 See Kadivar: (see FN 3), 668. Lizenzhinweis: Dieser Beitrag unterliegt der Creative-Commons-Lizenz Namensnennung-Keine kommerzielle Nutzung-Keine Bearbeitung (CC-BY-NC-ND), darf also unter diesen Bedingungen elektronisch benutzt, übermittelt, ausgedruckt und zum Download bereitgestellt werden. Den Text der Lizenz erreichen Sie hier: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/de and public spheres.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Persian Heritage: a Significant Role in Achieving Sustainable Development
    International Journal of Cultural Heritage E. Abedi, D. Kralj http://iaras.org/iaras/journals/ijch Persian heritage: A Significant Role in Achieving Sustainable Development ELAHEH ABEDI1, DAVORIN KRALJ2, A.M.Co., Tehran, IRAN1 ALMA MATER EUROPAEA, Slovenska 17, 2000 Maribor, SLOVENIA2, [email protected], [email protected] Abstract: In every country, heritage plays a significant role in achieving sustainable development. Iran, a high plateau located at latitudes in the range of 25-40 in an arid zone in the northern hemisphere of the East, is a vast country with different climatic zones. In the past, traditional builders have presented several logical climatic solutions in order to enhance human comfort. In fact, this emphasis has been one of the most important and fundamental features of Iranian architecture. To a significant extent, Iranian architecture has been based on climate, geography, available materials, and cultural beliefs. Therefore, traditional Iranian builders had to devise various techniques to enhance architectural sustainability through the use of natural materials, and they had to do so in the absence of modern technologies. Paper describes the principals and methods of vernacular architectural designs in Iran with given examples which is predominately focused on some eclectic ancient cities in Iran as Kashan, Isfahan, and Yazd. Design and technological considerations of past, such as sustainable performance of natural materials, optimum usage of available materials, and the use of wind and solar power, were studied in order to provide effective eco architectural designs to provide the architectural criteria and insights. This study will be beneficial to today architects in the design of architectural structures to provide human comfort and a sustainable life in adverse climatic conditions.
    [Show full text]
  • SSR JUNE__2016 Reduced.Pdf
    Central University of Kashmir SELF STUDY REPORT Submitted to NATIONAL ASSESSMENT AND ACCREDITATION COUNCIL (NAAC) Bangalore, India Table of Contents Content Page No. Executive Summary 1 Profile of the University 15 Criteria wise Inputs 25 Departmental Profiles 95 Appendices 281 Publications 282 Diversity in Faculty Recruitment 312 List of Court Cases 313 Executive Council 314 Academic Council 315 Finance Committee 317 Progression in Student Enrollment 318 Deans of various Schools 319 Members of IQAC 320 Administration 321 List of Students who qualified NET/JRF 322 Major Events 2010-15 323 Meetings of Various Academic/Administrative Boards 328 List showing students and other outreach activities during 2010-15 330 List Showing the awards received by the faculty during 2010-15 332 Central Universities Act 2009 333 Income and Expenditure 366 Central University of Kashmir Master Plan 371 Organizational Chart 372 Self Assessment Proforma 376 Executive Summary The University is presently operating through a number of campuses acquired on rent basis, owing to the fact that the construction of multi-storeyed buildings at the original site of the University Campus at Tulmulla (Ganderbal) has not yet been completed. Presently, the construction work is going on for pre-engineered 2-storeyed buildings which are expected to be completed within next six months. Hopefully, in the month of June-2016 some teaching departments may be shifted to Tulmulla (Ganderbal). At present, the three rented EXECUTIVE SUMMARY campuses are housing various teaching departments, the details of which are given as under: S. NO. NAME OF THE CAMPUS TOTAL BUILT-UP AREA DEPARTMENTS OPERATING IN THE CAMPUS.
    [Show full text]
  • Family Law in Islam : Divorce, Marriage and Women in the Muslim
    Maaike Voorhoeve is Research Fellow at the University of A msterda m, where she teaches Islamic law and family law in the Muslim World. She holds a doctorate in legal anthropology, which concentrated upon contemporary Tunisian judicial practices in the field of divorce. She specialises in the legal anthropology of the Muslim World, focusing on Tunisia. VVoorhoeve_prelims.inddoorhoeve_prelims.indd i 22/28/2012/28/2012 33:21:49:21:49 PPMM VVoorhoeve_prelims.inddoorhoeve_prelims.indd iiii 22/28/2012/28/2012 33:21:49:21:49 PPMM FAMILY LAW IN ISLAM Divorce, Marriage and Women in the Muslim World Edited by Maaike Voorhoeve Voorhoeve_prelims.indd iii 2/28/2012 3:21:49 PM Published in 2012 by I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd 6 Salem Road, London W2 4BU 175 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10010 www.ibtauris.com Distributed in the United States and Canada Exclusively by Palgrave Macmillan 175 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10010 Copyright Editorial selection and Introduction © 2012 Maaike Voorhoeve Copyright Individual Chapters © 2012 Susanne Dahlgren, Baudouin Dupret, Esther van Eijk, Christine Hegel-Cantarella, Arzoo Osanloo, Massimo Di Ricco, Nadia Sonneveld, Sarah Vincent-Grosso and Maaike Voorhoeve The right of Maaike Voorhoeve to be identifi ed as editor of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1988. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or any part thereof, may not be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
    [Show full text]
  • Women Musicians and Dancers in Post-Revolution Iran
    Negotiating a Position: Women Musicians and Dancers in Post-Revolution Iran Parmis Mozafari Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Leeds School of Music January 2011 The candidate confIrms that the work submitted is her own and that appropriate credit has been given where reference has been made to the work of others. This copy has been supplied on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. 2011 The University of Leeds Parmis Mozafari Acknowledgment I would like to express my gratitude to ORSAS scholarship committee and the University of Leeds Tetly and Lupton funding committee for offering the financial support that enabled me to do this research. I would also like to thank my supervisors Professor Kevin Dawe and Dr Sita Popat for their constructive suggestions and patience. Abstract This research examines the changes in conditions of music and dance after the 1979 revolution in Iran. My focus is the restrictions imposed on women instrumentalists, dancers and singers and the ways that have confronted them. I study the social, religious, and political factors that cause restrictive attitudes towards female performers. I pay particular attention to changes in some specific musical genres and the attitudes of the government officials towards them in pre and post-revolution Iran. I have tried to demonstrate the emotional and professional effects of post-revolution boundaries on female musicians and dancers. Chapter one of this thesis is a historical overview of the position of female performers in pre-modern and contemporary Iran.
    [Show full text]
  • Making Modern Self Through White Marriage: Living Together Without Marriage in Tehran, Iran
    Making Modern Self Through White Marriage: Living Together Without Marriage in Tehran, Iran by Mehrnaz Golestaneh A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario © 2018, Mehrnaz Golestaneh Abstract This dissertation uses the phenomenon of “white marriage” among young heterosexual middle class Iranian women and men, who choose to live together without religious and legal documentation, as the focus to provide a window into the transformation of intimacy in contemporary Iran within a globalized world. In addition to explaining theoretical approach and methodology, throughout the first couple of chapters, I contextualize white marriage as in deeper socio-historical layers in relation to freedom of choice. Based on interviews with individuals in white marriages as well as analyses of textual data, this dissertation examines how Iranian middle class women and men in white marriages understand this mode of intimate relationship within the context of Iran’s marriage norms and the global dominance of western culture. By investigating the categorization of white marriage, and conceptualizations of commitment, fertility and relationships with extended family, this dissertation offers an account of the different motivations and desires bound up in the making of the modern self through white marriage. I argue that white marriage signifies that sexuality, gender and class are emerging as fault lines in contemporary Iranian society, with notions of intimacy, love, body and self-being constructed by Iranian middle class women and men in reaction to western culture and to marital norms in Iran.
    [Show full text]
  • (UNIVERSITY) Manuscript
    MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION MOSCOW STATE INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (UNIVERSITY) Manuscript KHADEM MAKHSUS HOSSEINI, Leila TRANSFORMATION OF IRANIAN WOMEN’S CULTURAL IDENTITY Specialty: 24.00.01 – Theory and history of culture THESIS For PhD degree in Cultural Studies Scientific supervisor: Elena V. Voevoda, PhD, Doctor Habilitatus (Education) Moscow – 2018 2 CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………… 3 CHAPTER 1. THE INFLUENTIAL FACTORS IN CONSTRUCTING IRANIAN WOMEN'S CULTURAL IDENTITY 14 1.1. The concept of cultural identity in the cultural and philosophical aspects ………………………………………………………………... 14 1.2. A comparative analysis of Judith Butler’s views on identity and Anthony Giddens’ structuration theory……………………................. 46 1.3. The role of Islam in constructing Iranian women's cultural identity ……………………………………………………………….. 57 1.4. Historical changes of social and cultural aspects of Iranian women's life ………………………………………………………….. 79 Chapter 1: Findings ………………………………………………….. 99 CHAPTER 2. MANIFESTATION OF TRADITIONAL AND MODERN CULTURAL IDENTITY OF IRANIAN WOMEN …… 103 2.1. Iranian Women's Cultural Identity Represented in their Bodies… 103 2.2. Veiling and Iranian Women's Cultural Identity ………………. 137 2.3. Iranian women's cultural identity in relation to their work and leisure time …………………………………………………………. 172 Chapter 2: Findings ………………………………………………….. 203 CONCLUSIONS ……………………………………………………….. 205 BIBLIOGRAPHY ……………………………………………………… 216 3 INTRODUCTION Research relevance. In the modern world, women play an increasingly important role in society: they actively participate in the social, economic, political and cultural life of their communities shaping the new image of their country. The issue of change in western women's role and identity during and after industrialization (referred to as one of the defining properties of modernity by A.
    [Show full text]
  • Local Architecture: Using Traditional Persian Elements to Design for Climate in Yazd, Iran
    Local Architecture: Using Traditional Persian Elements to Design for Climate in Yazd, Iran by Sepideh Sohrabi Mollayousef A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Architecture in M. Architecture Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario © 2015 Sepideh Sohrabi Mollayousef 1 ABSTRACT The aim of this thesis is to research and study vernacular architecture in Yazd. Additionally, this study will explore the social and environmen- tal bases of the traditional Yazdi house. In order to develop a cohesive understanding of contemporary issues in Iranian design, a variety of resource materials will be drawn on, including journal articles, reports, books, and field studies. The thesis will culminate in a project to design a large-scale master plan and schematic housing layouts for a residential complex at Yazd University that will house professors and their immedi- ate family members. 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost I would like to express my gratitude to my supervi- sor, Prof. Johan Voordouw, who has supported me with his patience and knowledge whilst allowing me to develop my research. Also I would like to offer special thanks to my committee chair, Dr. Fed- erica Goffi, for her offered guidance, care and support. I also want to thank Dr. Inderbir Singh Riar and Marjan Ghannad for serving on my graduate committee. I would like to thank my father, Dr. Teymour Sohrabi, and dear mother, Fariba Zamani Sani, for each providing me with love, encouragement and support. Special thanks go to my amazing sister, Sara, who has provided inexhaustible love, support and encouragement.
    [Show full text]
  • Transnational Modernization and the Gendered Built Environment in Iran
    Transnational Modernization and the Gendered Built Environment in Iran: Altering Architectural Spaces and Gender Identities in the Early Twentieth Century (1925-1941) A Dissertation submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Architecture and Interior Design of College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning By Armaghan Ziaee Bachelor of Architecture, 2009 Master of Architecture, 2013 Master of Arts, 2018 2018 Committee: Amy Lind, Ph.D. (Co-chair) Adrian Parr, Ph.D. (Co-chair) Edson Cabalfin, Ph.D. Abstract When Reza Shah Pahlavi (1925-1941) came to power in Iran in 1925, he initiated a rapid and irreversible process of change that began in the public domain of the city and filtered into the private domain of the home. During this era of accelerated, westernized modernization, gender- segregated private housing, including courtyard houses, and gender-exclusive, masculine public spaces were repurposed relatively quickly and/or were replaced by modern villa-style houses/apartments and gender-inclusive public spaces. Over the years, as Reza Shah’s policies of western-style modern houses, urban spaces, fashion, and design grew, he intensified his support for gender desegregation, most notably through banning women’s use of the Chador (the traditional Iranian veil) in public spaces. In this sense, the first Pahlavi modernization project of the built environment was constructed through a gendered lens of progress, in which physical structures, public and private spaces, and women’s (and men’s) very senses of embodiment and identity – in their homes, in public spaces, in regard to their dress – became a contested battleground at the center of broader struggles concerning modernity and westernization in Iran.
    [Show full text]
  • The Impact of the Modernity Discourse on Persian Fiction
    The Impact of the Modernity Discourse on Persian Fiction Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Comparative Studies in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Saeed Honarmand, M.A. Graduate Program in Comparative Studies The Ohio State University 2011 Dissertation Committee: Richard Davis, Advisor Margaret Mills Philip Armstrong Copyright by Saeed Honarmand 2011 Abstract Modern Persian literature has created a number of remarkable works that have had great influence on most middle class people in Iran. Further, it has had representation of individuals in a political context. Coming out of a political and discursive break in the late nineteenth century, modern literature began to adopt European genres, styles and techniques. Avoiding the traditional discourses, then, became one of the primary characteristics of modern Persian literature; as such, it became closely tied to political ideologies. Remarking itself by the political agendas, modern literature in Iran hence became less an artistic source of expression and more as an interpretation of political situations. Moreover, engaging with the political discourse caused the literature to disconnect itself from old discourses, namely Islamism and nationalism, and from people with dissimilar beliefs. Disconnectedness was already part of Iranian culture, politics, discourses and, therefore, literature. However, instead of helping society to create a meta-narrative that would embrace all discourses within one national image, modern literature produced more gaps. Historically, there had been three literary movements before the modernization process began in the late nineteenth century. Each of these movements had its own separate discourse and historiography, failing altogether to provide people ii with one single image of a nation.
    [Show full text]
  • The Role of Garden and Courtyard in Organizing the Space of Aristocratic
    International Journal of Architecture and Urban Development Vol.4, No.1, Winter 2014 International Journal of Architecture and Urban Development Urban and Architecture of Journal International The Role of Garden and Courtyard in Organizing the Space of Aristocratic Houses in Tehran during Qajar’s Era 1Maryam Armaghan, *2Hossein Soltanzadeh, 3Homa Irani Behbahani 1 Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Architecture, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. 2 Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. 3 Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. Recieved 08.08.2013; Accepted 10.11.2013 ABSTRACT: Constructing houses in the form of garden-house became popular among Statesmen and the privileged class in Naseri period. Iranian traditional houses which used to be formed around a central courtyard, now were organized around a garden. So the transition from houses with courtyard to garden-houses created a new order of relationships between spaces, resulted in redefining spaces and their forms. The framework structure of the spaces along with their life culture have been investigated in the present research paper since without considering the inhabitants’ behavioral and cultural characteristics the framework patterns shaping the space cannot lead to identifying architectural features. So, the qualitative research method was used to study four aristocratic houses in Tehran within an analytical-interpretative approach. The results indicate a change in space organization. There are sustainability concepts in designing spaces in a house which are attained differently in the garden and sometimes redefined because of the changing needs.
    [Show full text]
  • Reinterpreting Sustainable Design of Traditional Iranian Cities
    Reinterpreting sustainable design of traditional Iranian cities A thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Philosophy Nima Dibazar Welsh School of Architecture Cardiff University September 2016 Abstract: In our constant attempts to reduce the negative impact of urbanisation on natural environment and to improve quality of urban life, we must be inventive with new technologies but also to re-learn and re-use effective local solutions which have been used for centuries in vernacular cities before the industrialisation and widespread use of fossil fuels. The study focuses on vernacular Iranian cities in order to highlight architectural and urban solutions adopted in response to harsh climate of Iranian plateau. Throughout the study climatic adaptations in vernacular Iranian cities have been investigated in response to four elements of sun, wind, water and green spaces. The main research approach adopted in this research involved urban structure analysis through aerial photos, historic maps, existing literature in Farsi and English as well as on site observation by the author. Native builders informed by accumulated knowledge of their ancestors, constructed dense urban environments with available local materials. These compact cities were efficient but also diverse in land use. Dense urban fabric protected building from cold winter winds and harsh summer sunlight. Water was transported from foothill of mountains via network of underground channels to supply water to buildings and also to moderate temperature by surface evaporation. Local knowledge of regional winds enabled native people to build houses and streets with appropriate orientation and benefit from favourable winds for ventilation and to avoid harsh unpleasant winds.
    [Show full text]
  • Flight from Your Home Country to Tehran We Prepare Ourselves for A
    Day 1: Flight from your home country to Tehran We prepare ourselves for a fabulous trip to Great Persia. Arrival to Tehran, after custom formality, meet and assist at airport and transfer to the Hotel. O/N: Tehran Day 2: Tehran After breakfast, full day visit Tehran: Niyavaran Palace, Saad Abad Palace, Darband. O/N: Tehran The NiavaranComplex is a historical complex situated inShemiran , Tehran Greater( Tehran), Iran . It consists of several buildings and monuments built in the Qajar and Pahlavi eras. The complex traces its origin to a garden in Niavaran region, which was used as a summer residence by Fath-Ali Shah of the Qajar Dynasty. A pavilion was built in the garden by the order of Naser ed Din Shah of the same dynasty, which was originally referred to as Niavaran House, and was later renamed Saheb Qaranie House. The pavilion of Ahmad Shah Qajarwas built in the late Qajar period.During the reign of the Pahlavi Dynasty , a modern built mansion named Niavaran House was built for the imperial family of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. All of the peripheral buildings of the Saheb Qaranie House, with the exception of the Ahmad Shahi Pavilion, were demolished, and the buildings and structures of the present-day complex were built to the north of the Saheb Qaranie House. In the Pahlavi period, the Ahmad Shahi Pavilion served as an exhibition area for the presents from world eaders to the Iranian monarchs. The Sa'dabad Complex is a complex built by the Qajar and Pahlavi monarchs, located in Shemiran, Greater Tehran, Iran.
    [Show full text]