• Home
  • Mohammad Saeed  Izadi
  • OpenAccess
    • List of Articles Mohammad Saeed  Izadi

      • Open Access Article

        1 - A Review of the Semantic and Physical Structure of Sacred Places Inviolable Zone; Based on Works of Travel Literatures written from the fifth to the fourteen centuries A.H
        Mohamad Saeed izadi Nasim Asgari Shahriar Nasekhian
        In Islamic teachings, especially the Shia school of thought, the sanctity of every element is dependent on the divine essence; the closer the element’s attachment, the higher its sanctity. For this reason, the places of worship and sites of pilgrimage cities have for lo More
        In Islamic teachings, especially the Shia school of thought, the sanctity of every element is dependent on the divine essence; the closer the element’s attachment, the higher its sanctity. For this reason, the places of worship and sites of pilgrimage cities have for long been revered, attracting those seeking spirituality. It’s unfortunate that in recent times, overlooking the sanctity of sacred places, also called Inviolable Zones (Ha’rim), has led to the disturbance of integrity in the surrounding area and the distortion of the authenticity of these monuments, often with the excuse of urban development and on occasion for facilitating the pilgrimage itself. Undoubtedly, considering and reviewing related documents such as works of travel literature even if in an overall format, can provide a useful framework for the reconsideration of such destructive activities. This research is an effort to examine the semantic and physical structure of the inviolable zone of sacred places by relying on interpretive-historical methods with the inductive approach. It will discuss here, the contexts, literature and illustrated images of 48 pieces of travel literature dating back to fifth to the fourteenth centuries AH. It concludes that these sacred places have been perceived as “symbols and indications of a pilgrimage city” and were “individual and unique in their surrounding area” with due respect for their “integrated cohesion,” while preserving their interaction with the surrounding residential, commercial, educational, and other functions. Such structures were given the “spatial hierarchy” of the unique urban systems in which they were located. The conclusion explains the respect and sanctity regarding both physical and metaphysical aspects while conserving all tangible and intangible elements of the typology of religious heritage throughout the aforementioned era. The physical structure of the inviolable zone of these sacred places can be divided into three different scales: the core zone, the buffer zone and the sacred precinct which indicates that the holy shrines were not only limited to their surroundings but were deemed to emanate sanctity to the entire city. Finally, it should be considered that traditions, rituals and religious values play an active role in creating the semantic structure of the surrounding inviolable zone. Manuscript profile
      • Open Access Article

        2 - The nature of attachment to the traditional Iranian neighborhood (Mahalleh): A qualitative study of Ekhtiarieh
        samaneh khabiri mohamadreza pourjafar mohamadsaeed izadi
        Neighborhood in the Iranian cities plays a critical role in the construction of personal and collective identity, place attachment and place belonging. Such neighborhoods during the rapid urbanization and modern urban planning ideas have undergone changes in the spatial More
        Neighborhood in the Iranian cities plays a critical role in the construction of personal and collective identity, place attachment and place belonging. Such neighborhoods during the rapid urbanization and modern urban planning ideas have undergone changes in the spatial structure and social organization over the past several decades leading to disruptions in peoples’ psychological bonds with their neighborhoods and accordingly decline in social participation, social capital and local identities. According to a survey conducted by the Tehran Municipality (2017), Ekhtiarieh is one of the top ten neighborhoods in Tehran, where a high level of neighborhood attachment and relatively high residential stability have been recorded. This article seeks to identify the psychological nature of this bond by studying the lived experience of the residents of Ekhtiarieh and to identify the components that affect the construction of the attachment to the neighborhood. Therefore, the qualitative inquiry and the grounded theory methodology adopted. Using purposeful and theoretical sampling techniques, 24 residents were selected as participants in the research through the process of the data collection and analysis. In-depth interview, open questionnaire and cognitive mapping have been used for data collection and data analysis was performed simultaneously using open, axial and selective coding.Findings show that attachment to the neighborhood is experienced as the sense of home on the neighborhood level and has emotional, perceptual-cognitive and behavioral dimensions. Participants with high level of neighborhood attachment experience an array of emotions namely pride, psychological well-being and sense of belonging and membership. Attachment to the neighborhood is also experienced through maturity of person-place bond, formation of the social self, transformation in the place meanings, territoriality, and the psychological ownership of neighborhood. Analyses of lived experience of Residents shows neighborhood attachment is associated with the specific behaviors namely adaptive proximity seeking patterns, collective action, seeking similarity and affiliation. Attachment to the home, self-continuity, place identity, visual-auditory pleasantness, neighborhood status, places and events connecting people, perceived responsiveness of neighborhood, and place and community stability are factors promoting attachment to the neighborhood. Manuscript profile