مهتاب هاشمی آقاجری

Recognition of the historical cities in different periods recounts the history of Iranian-Islamic civilization that access to such information requires studying the structure of their architecture and urbanization. The historical city of Soltaniyeh, as the third capital of the Ilkhanate, was one of the most important political and economic centers of its time, and today only the boundaries of the monuments of the old city can be identified. Aiming to create the right context for recreation and protection of the remains of Soltaniyeh, this study identifies the spatial structure of this city, which is one of the most basic proceedings for its optimal expansion. According to the mentioned necessity, the present article, using analytical-comparative study, attempts to present the assumptive plan of the spatial structure of Soltaniyeh city by investigating historical documents, in particular, Matrakci Miniature. The results of the study, implicates to a premeditated and predesigned plan which include three parts: ancient fort, middle citadel, or downtwon, and Rabaz, each of which has a definite architectural and urbanization component. Throughout history, urban elements, which mentioned more than others in the documents, have faced the least amount of damage to date (like the Oljeitu Tomb with 46.66% repetition in resources), or it was possible to identify their exact location (like the city’s middle tower and battlement with 40% repetition in resources), and they are still visible today. Urban elements that have the least repetition rate (6.66%) or they are indexed only in one document, have no precise location in the assumptive plan. Other urban elements which have been repeated in more than one historical document (With percentages between 6.66% and 40%), due to the availability of analytical-comparative study conditions, are located in the assumptive plan and it seems possible that they can be recreated in the current situation with the help of experts.

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between residential environments and the residents’ lifestyle dimensions. Theoretical studies suggest that the capabilities of residential environments can affect different aspects of lifestyle. To validate the theoretical model of the study, a traditional and a contemporary neighborhood in Tabriz were selected. The statistical population for each neighborhood was determined to be 200 residents. A confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate the impact of residential environments on lifestyle dimensions. The results of our theoretical tests on a traditional and a contemporary neighborhood suggested that in the traditional neighborhood, the physical capability at the neighborhood level and the symbolic capability at the home level had the highest impact on the development of lifestyle dimensions. In terms of lifestyle dimensions, at the neighborhood level, the interaction dimension was affected the most by the physical capability, whereas at the home level, the interaction dimension was affected the most by the symbolic capability. In contrast, in the contemporary neighborhood, the social capability at the neighborhood and the symbolic capability at the home level had the highest impact on the improvement of lifestyle dimensions. In terms of lifestyle dimensions, at the neighborhood level, the unity dimension was affected the most by the social capability, whereas at the home level, the unity dimension was affected the most by the symbolic capability.

The achievement of an ethical lifestyle is a very complex issue whose roots can be found in the interaction between the environment and our existential aspects as humans. In any environment, we seek to make the most of available environmental capabilities to meet a variety of individual and social needs. We tend to modify our surroundings to fit our own existential aspects and to make life more desirable.The purpose of this study is to identify and explore the relationship between environmental capabilities and existential human aspects in line with the achievement of an ethical lifestyle. The present study seeks to answer the following question: How can we explain the relationship between environmental capabilities and an ethical lifestyle? Previous theoretical studies suggest that existential human aspects, including internal areas (beliefs; feelings/emotions; intentions/desires) and external areas(speech; behavior) interact with environmental capabilities(physical,social,symbolic) to influence lifestyle-shaping variables(scope, capital, character,practice, symbols, class, and disposition). In order to achieve a moral lifestyle and thus a moral behavior in humans, there are stages for ethics to actualize in practice – stages that express the processs of knowlege and practice in an ethics-forming way. The stages of the development of ethical behavior from the Islamic point of view are as follows: intention and potntial(knowlege and possibility); action (idea/mind); reaction (manifestation/apparent behavior); character stage(habit/stability); culture and method (expansion/pattern formation/propagation).At each of these stages, environmental capabilities affecting existential human aspects provide the context for the formation, consolidation, and institutionalization of an ethical lifestyle. Perhaps the most important feature that one should consider in today’s consumer world is choice. One’s choice in the face of a multitude of consumption patterns will lead to one’s distinction (symbols) from other social spaces (scopes/areas) and will bring about unity among the members of the social space (class). The important point in this choice is that the social structure chosen according to an ethical lifestyle must be consistent with the nature of one’s beliefs and ideas to prepare the ground for an ethical lifestyle (character). After choosing the desired social structure, one must take steps to develop one’s second existential aspect, that is, the area of emotions, affects and feelings. In other words, by foregrounding the symbolic principles of belief and thought (symbols), one’s attitudes, desires, tendencies, values and insights help nurture and develop one’s existential aspects. In the meantime, maybe the environment (social, economic and cultural capital) pose limitations for the individual. The only way to overcome these environmental constraints is to have a strong will (strengthening one’s will and intention) which plays a central role in achieving an ethical lifestyle. When one understands the ethical way of living according to his/her internal areas of existence, one can actualize (turn into practice) one’s internal areas through one’s external areas (speech and action). In addition, objective and subjective phenomena, which consititute a set of behavioral patterns in everyone’s lifestyle, should find actual manifestation (character) according to one’s external areas of existence (speech and action). To test the theoretical model of the study, we selected Azab Daftariller, a traditional neighborhood in Tabriz, and sampled 200 participants from among the residents to investigate the effects of environmental capabilities on existential human aspects as the context for the formation of an ethical lifestyle using confirmatory factor analysis. The results indicate that the interactions between physical environmental capabilities on the one hand and human feelings/emotions at the macro-level (in the neighborhood) and human intentions/desires at the micro-level (at home) on the other hand provide the context for the formation of an ethical lifestyle in individuals and in society at large. Moreover, the interaction between social environmental capabilities on the one hand and human speech and behavior at the macro-level (in the neighborhood) and human intentions/desires at the micro-level (at home) on the other hand provide the context for the consolidation of an ethical lifestyle at home and in society and turn it into a personal and social habit. Finally, the interaction between symbolic environmental capabilities on the one hand and human feelings/emotions at the macro-level (in the neighborhood) and human intentions/desires at the micro-level(at home) on the other hand provide the context for the expansion and instutitionalization of an ethical lifestyle among family members and in society at large.