Recognizing the Remaining Shape Patterns in HasanluHill

The ancient hill of Hasanlu is situated 12 km southwest of Urmia lake and 9 km northeast of Naqadeh city (Sulduz), between Amin Lo and Hasanlo villages. The hill is named Hasanlu after the nearby village. Excavations at the Hasanlu ancient hill took place in three significant decades of archaeological history (1950s, 1960s, and 1970s), characterized by methodological advancements and new hypotheses. Hasanlu Hill has a lot of layers of culture ranging from the Old Bronze Age to the Ilkhanid period. Alongside three or four forts in the region, it has been served as a defense for the western borders of Manaha, which is located in the southern part of Lake Urmia. These fortress cities have been substituted to scattered villages and became the focal point of resistance against the invasions of the Assyrian and Urartu governments in the early first millennium BC. In Hasanlu's sequence, a total of ten cultural periods, labeled as periods I to X, have been identified. In the northwestern region of Iran, there are relatively isolated mountain valleys that serve as environmental beds, offering different environmental conditions and resources. This has resulted in a significant cultural diversity in the region for a long time. Numerous architectural documents and archaeological excavations point towards the presence of architectural patterns in the ancient hill sites of Hasanlu. Accordingly, the goal has been to investigate the theoretical principles in the areas of architecture, archaeology, culture, and the utilization of written and visual records to evaluate the standard of architecture and its influencing factors. The lack of resources, incomplete and varied reports from the archaeological team, and disregard for the architecture of Hasanlu Hill, along with the importance of recognizing the shape patterns left on the hill and the necessity of researching the theoretical foundations of architecture and investigating the impact of influential patterns on architectural quality, highlight the need to understand the connection between fundamental architectural concepts and theoretical foundations. Ultimately, this prompts the question: What role have cultural patterns played in shaping the architectural quality of Hasanlu Hill? The objective of the present study is to elucidate the theoretical principles in the domains of architecture, archaeology, and culture, with the purpose of examining the quality of architecture and the factors that impact it. This research was carried out using a qualitative analytical approach, and ultimately through comparative analysis supplemented by information gathered from historical documents, maps, visual materials, and archaeological records obtained from library and archival sources. The research findings indicate that there is a strong connection between the shape patterns influenced by symbolism and the architectural style found in the ancient sites of Hasanlu. The article's most significant discovery is the utilization of square, rectangular, and chalipa patterns to highlight the usage, symbolism, and meaning behind the structures. This design technique is closely associated with topics like symbolism, meaning derived from the structural and static application, as well as serving as a roof covering. These techniques have been consistently employed throughout the entire history of Hasanlu fortress, up until the present day.