Analytical Study of the Architecture of Historical Bathhouses in Isfahan Province from the Perspective of Physical Geometry
Subject Areas : Creative City Design
Somayeh Abedi
1
(Department of Architecture, Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran.)
Mohsen Tabassi
2
(Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran)
Hasan Rezaei
3
(Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran.)
Keywords: Architecture, Bathhouse, Isfahan Province, Physical Geometry.,
Abstract :
Since ancient times, Iranians have cared about cleanliness and respected water to the point of sanctity. In Islam, purity before prayers became doubly important, and consequently, the bathroom emerged as a space for washing, which was accompanied by physical changes over time. Today, historical bathhouses are facing the risk of destruction, without detailed studies on their architecture. This research aims to identify the physical characteristics of historical baths in Isfahan province. This study tries to answer the question of what are the architectural features of historical baths in Isfahan province from the perspective of physical geometry. With a descriptive-analytical method, the study focuses on three main axes (typology, spaces, and proportions). Data has been collected through field studies and research findings have been analyzed using statistical methods. The results show that all the studied bathrooms included the main, connection, and service spaces. In Isfahan, as Safavid capital, the baths in the neighborhood were bigger than the city center baths. The differences between the total area and the area of Bineh and Garmkhaneh show that the size of the baths depended on the population of the bath area, so the urban location (city center or neighborhood center), physical type of the bath, and other factors did not affect it. Due to various usages, Bineh was much larger than the Garmkhaneh. But unexpectedly, the large Binehs were relatively low in height. The closeness of the proportions of the Bineh and Garmkhaneh shows the harmony of the shape of the said spaces.
