A study on the architectural features of houses constructed from XVIII to ‎XIX century in the city of Mashhad ‎

Mashhad is located in northeastern Iran and known as one of the most prominent religious cities in the Shia world. Religion, more than other factors such as geographical position and culture, has influenced the creation, expansion, and development of the city. The location of the burial place of Imam Alī al-Ridā, the 8th Imam of the Shi’ite, led the city to surpass its other nearby towns until it became one of the largest centers of Iran in the 16th century. With the official adoption of Shi’ism, Iranian kings have always shown a great deal of interest in the growth and development of Mashhad in order to reduce travels to Arabic religious centers and prevent the financial exploitation of these cities from pilgrimages. For this purpose, restoration and extension of the Holy Shrine have been undertaken as the primary innovative initiatives. Consequently, the first expansions of the city begin around the sanctuary within the ramparts with the formation of the neighborhoods that presented the form of an Islamic city comprising great public buildings, habitations, and alleys that would all lead to the sacred area. During the decades, the artistic taste of the governors brought various innovations to the town in terms of art, architecture and urban developments, to the extent that Mashhad became a city full of magnificent buildings like caravanserais, bazaars, mosques and grand mansions. In the 20th century, the city began extending out of the walls and turned into a modern city which gradually led to the loss of its historical identity and monuments. After the victory of the Islamic revolution in 1979, rulers have given more attention to this city. This attention towards Mashhad brought about the approval of Urban Master Plan in 1999 due to which historical residential quarters in Mashhad were destroyed and renovated to improve the context around the Holy Shrine Complex. During the last decades, countless traditional dwellings have been demolished by implementing renovation projects for historic center. Almost all of the buildings in question presented great values that have never been recognized by society or the government. The approach that will be described in this thesis concerns a study on the architectural typology of three traditional ordinary dwellings in Mashhad. They are located in the most ancient districts of city which are the victims of modernity. According to the research conducted, the case studies are the most ancient type of houses in the town which show characteristics of habitations in the late 18th century. In comparison with the 19th century mansions, these kinds of houses are built on smaller proportions and are relatively more modest. Both types, glorious or ordinary, present the common principles and characteristics which would be observed in all Middle Eastern houses with a central courtyard. Nevertheless, the ordinary small houses are not considered as heritage regardless of their architectural and historical values. This neglect perhaps comes from the fact that houses belonging to the 18th century are not as large and decorated as mansions; however, great houses are the configuration of the minor houses in a developed form. 17 Up to now, the majority of researches or activities have been focused on the study of palaces or wellknown houses located in cities like Isfahan and Yazd in most cases. Moreover, the studies conducted on traditional habitations of Mashhad included only the instances of the 19th century, all registered on National Heritage List. The lack of research on the ordinary traditional habitations have kept their values unknown to the community and state. As a result, due to not having been as heritage, they face serious challenges such as abandonment and destruction. At the beginning of the research activity after identifying the case studies and observing their physical conditions, the aim was to document the characteristics of three houses; Nili, Tehrani and Bidari, which should be the most historical dwellings in Mashhad. Through an in-depth research and focus on acquiring the required knowledge, their historical and architectural aspects will present a strong reason to register them as national heritage so they can be preserved. However, during the research, the first case of study, Nili House, was demolished by the owner in October 2018 and the third house, Bidari, was destructed by the municipality in summer 2017 due to construction of a new urban avenue. The current dissertation is an attempt to sensitize both the general public and the state and encourage to participate in the protection of local patrimonies through presenting a description of how the traditional houses of Mashhad, that represent the historical and cultural identity of the city, disappear one after the other.