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AUTHOR(S):

Elaheh Abedi, Davorin Kralj

 

TITLE

Persian Heritage: A Significant Role in Achieving Sustainable Development

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KEYWORDS

heritage, environment, management, sustainable development

ABSTRACT

In every country, heritage plays a significant role in achieving sustainable development. Iran, a high plateau located at latitudes in the range of 25-40 in an arid zone in the northern hemisphere of the East, is a vast country with different climatic zones. In the past, traditional builders have presented several logical climatic solutions in order to enhance human comfort. In fact, this emphasis has been one of the most important and fundamental features of Iranian architecture. To a significant extent, Iranian architecture has been based on climate, geography, available materials, and cultural beliefs. Therefore, traditional Iranian builders had to devise various techniques to enhance architectural sustainability through the use of natural materials, and they had to do so in the absence of modern technologies. Paper describes the principals and methods of vernacular architectural designs in Iran with given examples which is predominately focused on some eclectic ancient cities in Iran as Kashan, Isfahan, and Yazd. Design and technological considerations of past, such as sustainable performance of natural materials, optimum usage of available materials, and the use of wind and solar power, were studied in order to provide effective eco architectural designs to provide the architectural criteria and insights. This study will be beneficial to today architects in the design of architectural structures to provide human comfort and a sustainable life in adverse climatic conditions. Later describes Persian ancestors thought in system frame work, lifestyle and their contribution to the present science and their cultural heritages left to the world for future generations. Finally examines different threats to the Iranian cultural heritage posed by development and globalization in the recent decades and then explains essence of putting an end to the crisis of the protection of cultural heritage in a country with thousands of ancient sites and historic buildings.

Cite this paper

Elaheh Abedi, Davorin Kralj. (2016) Persian Heritage: A Significant Role in Achieving Sustainable Development. International Journal of Cultural Heritage, 1, 11-19