From the so-called Islamic City to the Contemporary Urban Morphology: the Historic Core of Kermanshah City in Iran as a Case Study

Abstract

[EN] Pre-1920 cities in Iran are characterized by a number of features considered to be typical of the so-called “Islamic city”. A set of features are shared by traditional cities where dominated by Islam religion. The notion of “Islamic city”, often criticised for its Eurocentric nature, has guided most studies of these traditional cities. The modernisation process in so-called Islamic cities is crucial due to its serious impacts on the traditional morphology and transformation of their urban structure. We, thus, need more holistic and integrated understanding about changes of these cities derives from the modernisation process. In order to explore the broad and wide-spread changes due to modernisation process in the traditional cities in Muslim world, it is more enlightening if we study second order cities, rather than studying the transformations of major capitals such as Cairo, Istanbul or Teheran, where interventions are goal to approach a more exceptional and rhetorical characters. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to study the historic core of Kermanshah city, to understand the link between urban transformations and social due to modernisation process by tracing it historically. We will focus, particularly, on studying the stages of urban transformation and changes of urban morphology as well as conflict and differences between traditional urban features with the modern ones. For example, we are interested in understanding how traditional morphology and structure of residential and commercial zone are affected by the opening of new and wide boulevards in course of modernisation process, and how these changes influence everyday people life.