Abstract:
Urban commercial quarters such as bazaars can be found all over the world, from Turkey to Egypt, from Tajikistan to Iran. In Iranian cities, bazaars have very specific and unique architectural features and they have played an important role as economic and social engines. In addition, bazaars are an integral part of the cultural geography of Iran and have contributed to the definition of urban development patterns. This paper aims to critically explore sustainable architectural elements in historic bazaars and their relation to social and cultural components. This paper’s theoretical exploration is developed by detailing relevant findings from a case study on the significance of the sustainable architectural elements of the historic Bazaar of Tabriz, and it debates the relationship between those architectural elements and socio-cultural and economic components. A qualitative methodology, specifically in-depth interviews with shop-owners and customers and in loco observation, was employed. Findings show that the Bazaar of Tabriz has preserved its sustainability both in terms of architecture, by rigorous preservation, and in terms of socio- cultural and economic components, by maintaining an exciting daily dynamic and a healthy relationship between shop- owners, customers, local administration and the city of Tabriz. The preservation of unique and authentic sustainable architectural features, together with the maintenance of public spaces, such as mosques and schools, benefits the population of Tabriz and brings visitors every day to the shopping area of the complex, thus maintaining a constant flux and social, cultural and economic dynamics.
Machine summary:
"The preservation of unique and authentic sustainable architectural features, together with the maintenance of public spaces, such as mosques and schools, benefits the population of Tabriz and brings visitors every day to the shopping area of the complex, thus maintaining a constant flux and social, cultural and economic dynamics.
Main Findings on the Architecture of the Historic Bazaar of Tabriz from Observations As the result of the observation conducted by the authors, the historic Bazaar of Tabriz consists of a series of interconnected, covered brick structures, buildings and enclosed spaces for different functions, which has preserved its sustainability both in terms of structural firmness, economic, social and cultural dimensions.
At the Bazaar of Tabriz, open spaces in which various activities take place are properly mixed together and the central courtyards help the regulation of air in the inner Table 4: Main findings related to architectural sustainability The materials used during the construction process The roof function Natural lighting Function of courtyards Function of courtyards / The Bazaar of Tabriz is mostly made of solid local materials such as brick and stone.
Table 6: Three different reasons for shop-owners’ dissatisfaction It is interesting to underline that the comfortable atmosphere and good lighting and ventilation – part of the sustainable architectural elements of the complex – are also positive determinants when comes to choosing the Bazaar instead of other shopping areas in the city, together with the mixed activities, such as the post office and banks, as well as the diversity of local and handmade products (Fig. 5)."