Study of Postwar Reconstruction of Jamaleh Quarter in Isfahan

Isfahan is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with unique residential quarters of old age and unique beauty. One of such ancient districts is a quarter called “Dardasht”, which is of a great historical value and hosts Jamaleh quarter. This area, which has an invaluable historical texture, was attacked and damaged by Iraqi missiles and bombs during Iran-Iraq 8-year war and was then rebuilt. The reconstruction program was conducted in Jamaleh with the aim of rehabilitating the quarter using theoretical foundations consistent with the principles of traditional architecture, and was expected to be proved as a successful example, but failed to succeed in the implementation of the project, and the output of this reconstruction project represents a different face of native architecture based on the principles of Iranian architecture and the lives of residents. As a result, the texture underwent unexpected systemic, social and economic changes. This article, extracted from the writer’s master’s thesis in this regard, aims at examining theories and the process of rebuilding invaluable historical textures and extracting lessons from it.
The method of analysis in this paper is qualitative and descriptive-analytical, but the use of statistical data (if necessary) has also been used to prove the hypotheses. After reviewing the views on the reconstruction and extraction of indicators, they are measured against the situation in Jamaleh quarter so that it can be determined whether the implementation of the reconstruction was consistent with the theoretical foundations. Finally, theoretical and statistical analyses have been used to prove the hypothesis and to answer the research questions.
The results of this study suggest that what is being discussed in the theoretical framework of this project is very different from what was expected after thirty years, and that the goals contemplated were not achieved. At the time this paper was being written, further studies indicated that in ancient cities, interference with the historical context is, for any reason, very important and critical. Officials and planners need to be familiar with various aspects of intervention and rehabilitation in ancient textures with a comprehensive and profound viewpoint. Having a proper theoretical framework and plan and implementing it properly makes the reconstruction very effective, leading either to the rehabilitation or destruction of a quarter, just as what happened to Jamaleh quarter of Isfahan. Despite the appropriate framework and theoretical foundations, after about thirty years from the rebuilding of the quarter, none of the principles of the reconstruction plan can be seen today.