1- Tabriz University of Islamic Arts, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tabriz University of Islamic Arts
2- Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran
2- Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran
Abstract: (16 Views)
Problem Statement:In interdisciplinary studies, the linkage between language—as intangible heritage—and architecture—as tangible heritage—represents a critical missing link in revitalizing a connection that modernization processes have placed at risk of being forgotten. The mechanism that renders linguistic concepts from the mental and linguistic world of a culture into the physical form of architecture has not yet been systematically defined. This study, focusing on the cultural context of Azerbaijan, seeks to uncover this mechanism and present a nationally applicable model.
Research Question: How are the cultural metaphors of the Azerbaijani Turkish language (Tabriz dialect) manifested in the traditional Qajar-era houses of Tabriz?
Purpose: The primary objective of this study is to elucidate the relationship between language and architecture in Iranian culture. By analyzing Turkish language metaphors and correlating them with the traditional houses of Tabriz, the research proposes a conceptual model with the potential for application across other cultural contexts within Iran.
Methodology: This research adopts a qualitative approach through a case study strategy. Data collection employed documentary methods and content analysis of cultural texts (folklore, bayati poems, and dictionaries) to extract linguistic concepts, along with field surveys and architectural map analysis to examine case examples. Final data interpretation combined descriptive–analytical and interpretive–historical methods to connect abstract concepts with their physical forms.
Findings and Conclusion: The study reveals that traditional Qajar-era houses in Tabriz embody a coherent worldview shaped by a complex cognitive–cultural process. The results confirm that this process can be systematically analyzed through the conceptual model “Mental World (Origin) → Language (Path) → Architecture (Destination)”. In this framework, fundamental beliefs and social norms (origin domain) are manifested through the cultural metaphors of Azerbaijani Turkish (path domain) and serve as guiding maps for architects and builders to materialize these concepts in physical elements, decorative details, and spatial relationships. Simultaneously, these concepts act as a semantic and behavioral framework for residents—structuring daily behavioral patterns and social interactions within architectural space.
The main achievement of this study is the introduction of an analytical–applied model that demonstrates how intangible heritage (language) transforms into tangible heritage (architecture). A key insight is the identification of a cyclical and dynamic relationship between language and architecture; metaphors such as “The guest is God” have led to the creation of grand, elaborately detailed tambi (central reception halls) in Tabriz houses, while the lived experience of hosting and interaction within these spaces perpetuates and reinforces hospitality values across generations. Thus, architecture moves beyond passive representation to become an active vehicle for cultural transmission.
By transcending purely formal or phenomenological approaches and employing cultural metaphors as an analytical tool, the study offers a deeper perspective than purely anthropological analyses. The presented model provides a basis for testing in other Iranian cultural–linguistic contexts (e.g., Kurdish, Persian) and for diverse building typologies (e.g., bazaars, mosques). This framework holds significant practical implications for developing culturally oriented design guidelines in urban regeneration projects, reinforcing the integration of form, meaning, language, and culture in contemporary Iranian architecture, and fostering the creation of new works rooted in identity and meaning.
Research Question: How are the cultural metaphors of the Azerbaijani Turkish language (Tabriz dialect) manifested in the traditional Qajar-era houses of Tabriz?
Purpose: The primary objective of this study is to elucidate the relationship between language and architecture in Iranian culture. By analyzing Turkish language metaphors and correlating them with the traditional houses of Tabriz, the research proposes a conceptual model with the potential for application across other cultural contexts within Iran.
Methodology: This research adopts a qualitative approach through a case study strategy. Data collection employed documentary methods and content analysis of cultural texts (folklore, bayati poems, and dictionaries) to extract linguistic concepts, along with field surveys and architectural map analysis to examine case examples. Final data interpretation combined descriptive–analytical and interpretive–historical methods to connect abstract concepts with their physical forms.
Findings and Conclusion: The study reveals that traditional Qajar-era houses in Tabriz embody a coherent worldview shaped by a complex cognitive–cultural process. The results confirm that this process can be systematically analyzed through the conceptual model “Mental World (Origin) → Language (Path) → Architecture (Destination)”. In this framework, fundamental beliefs and social norms (origin domain) are manifested through the cultural metaphors of Azerbaijani Turkish (path domain) and serve as guiding maps for architects and builders to materialize these concepts in physical elements, decorative details, and spatial relationships. Simultaneously, these concepts act as a semantic and behavioral framework for residents—structuring daily behavioral patterns and social interactions within architectural space.
The main achievement of this study is the introduction of an analytical–applied model that demonstrates how intangible heritage (language) transforms into tangible heritage (architecture). A key insight is the identification of a cyclical and dynamic relationship between language and architecture; metaphors such as “The guest is God” have led to the creation of grand, elaborately detailed tambi (central reception halls) in Tabriz houses, while the lived experience of hosting and interaction within these spaces perpetuates and reinforces hospitality values across generations. Thus, architecture moves beyond passive representation to become an active vehicle for cultural transmission.
By transcending purely formal or phenomenological approaches and employing cultural metaphors as an analytical tool, the study offers a deeper perspective than purely anthropological analyses. The presented model provides a basis for testing in other Iranian cultural–linguistic contexts (e.g., Kurdish, Persian) and for diverse building typologies (e.g., bazaars, mosques). This framework holds significant practical implications for developing culturally oriented design guidelines in urban regeneration projects, reinforcing the integration of form, meaning, language, and culture in contemporary Iranian architecture, and fostering the creation of new works rooted in identity and meaning.
Article number: 5
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