Analyzing the passive defense indigenous knowledge in the architectural descriptions of Nasser Khosrow's travelogue

Subject Areas : History of Architecture

Seyed Ehsan Mirhashemi Routeh ^{1 *} , Shervin Mirshahzadeh ²

1 - Department of Architecture, Central Tehran Branch, Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2 - Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.

Received: 2024-02-04 Published : 2025-03-09

Keywords: Passive defense, defensive architecture, Nasser Khosrow's travelogue, history of architecture, literature and architecture,

Abstract :

The concept of defense can be divided into two main categories: active and passive. Passive defense is closely linked to the fields of architecture and urban planning. Unfortunately, due to the scarcity of historical texts and documents focused on the architectural process, it is necessary to refer to other sources to broaden the scope of historical studies of architecture. This research strives to answer the question of how passive defense principles related to architecture were implemented in the cities and villages that Nasser Khosrow visited. The current research is classified as fundamental-strategic research and aims to explain the type of defensive management of cities through inferential logic and a mixed approach of content analysis and interpretive-historical analysis by examining Nasser Khosrow's descriptions in his travelogue. Based on his descriptions, it becomes apparent that the management of defense relating to architecture varied depending on the region and the corresponding threats. Key variables such as the optimal location of the city, the construction of fortifications with diverse architecture, the protection of roads through the construction of ties, the construction of regional military bases, and the passive defense of the people's organization all played crucial roles in maintaining the defensive structure of the cities.