The Monthly Scientific Journal of Bagh-e Nazar

Phenomenological Comparison of Traditional Iranian and Iraqi Houses Based on Gaston Bachelard’s Theories

https://doi.org/10.22034/bagh.2026.584238.6061
Volume 23, Issue 161
November 2026
Pages 75-88
The Monthly Scientific Journal of Bagh-e Nazar

Document Type : Original Research Article

Authors

Shahba Ahmad Ali 1
Safiya Mahdi Khalil 2
Saeid Valadbeygi 3
Hojat Allah Hassanvand 4

1 College of Engineering, Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, Iraq

2 College of Applied Arts, Middle Technical University, Baghdad, Iraq

3 Department of Persian Language and Literature, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran

4 Department of Graphic, sah, c. Islamic Azad University, sahneh, Iran

Abstract
Problem statement: In traditional architecture, the house is not merely a place of dwelling but also a space in which human lived experience, memory, imagination, intimacy, and sense of belonging are formed. From this perspective, Gaston Bachelard’s phenomenological approach, particularly the concepts developed in “The Poetics of Space”, provides a framework for understanding the house as a lived and meaningful space. However, the experience of space in different architectural traditions is shaped by cultural, social, and climatic contexts, and phenomenological concepts cannot be applied uniformly without taking these differences into account. Accordingly, the central problem of this study is to examine how the spatial elements and organization of traditional Iranian and Iraqi houses can be interpreted through Bachelard’s phenomenological concepts, and how the cultural and climatic differences between these two contexts influence the lived experience and perception of domestic space.
Research objective: The present study aims to examine and compare the formation of spatial experience in traditional courtyard houses in Iran and traditional houses in Baghdad. It analyzes such dimensions as spatial intimacy, memory, imagination, privacy, dwelling, and the relationship between interior and exterior spaces based on Bachelard’s ideas, while also seeking to identify the potentials and limitations of this theoretical framework for a comparative reading of traditional Iranian and Iraqi architecture.
Research method: The research adopts a descriptive-analytical approach and a comparative method. Its data were collected through the study of documents, written sources, theoretical texts, and selected examples of traditional houses in Iran and Baghdad. The selected cases were analyzed through Bachelard’s phenomenological concepts, with particular attention to the cultural, social, and climatic contexts of the two architectural traditions.
Conclusion: The findings indicate that both architectural traditions employ elements such as central courtyards, controlled lighting, transitional spaces, and spatial hierarchies to create an intimate and meaningful experience of dwelling. Nevertheless, the quality and meaning of this experience differ across the two contexts. In traditional Iranian houses, elements such as orsi windows, beyond their climatic function, contribute to the experience of light, color, view, and imagination; whereas mashrabiya in traditional Baghdadi houses is more closely associated with privacy, visual control, and the regulation of the relationship between interior and exterior spaces. Moreover, spaces such as sardab and other shaded areas demonstrate that the lived experience of the house cannot be explained solely through a poetic reading of space; rather, climatic conditions, social patterns, and culturally specific modes of dwelling must also be taken into consideration. Therefore, Bachelard’s ideas offer considerable potential for understanding the subjective and lived dimensions of traditional houses in the Middle East. Their application, however, requires a comparative and critical reading that regards the phenomenological experience of space as emerging from the interaction between architectur al features and their cultural, social, and climatic contexts.

Keywords

Phenomenology of architecture
Gaston Bachelard
The Poetics of Space
Traditional Iranian houses
Traditional Iraqi houses
memory
Lived experience
Dwelling
Subjects
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