Principles of a “Cross-Cultural Landscape” Between Iran and Oman

Document Type : Original Research Article

Authors

1 Master in Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Architecture & Urbanism, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran.

2 Assistant Professor in Architecture, Faculty of Architecture & Urbanism, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran.

3 Associate Professor in Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Architecture & Urbanism, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran.

Abstract

The expansion of communication in today’s world has led to growing relations between different cultures in various fields. The outcome is the emergence of concepts such as the global village, globalization, and culture generation. The challenge faced by the world today is the method with which cultures with different values and structures relate to each other. Architecture, as one of the elements most influenced by culture, is by the same token influenced by expanding communications and requires an adequate response to achieve the rudiments of cultural interaction. Many researchers in the field of architecture and landscape architecture have studied the effects of culture on architecture and presented certain principles on the subject. Presently, the influx of cultural connections worldwide raises the following question: What principles does the environment which is formed under the influence of two or more different cultures follow? To this end, previous research on the influence of culture was first investigated and the discourse continued with the analysis of the cultural characteristics of the two countries of Iran and Oman. The research methodology also includes the comparative analysis of existing theories in the formation of a cross-cultural landscape, culture-influenced architecture, and the adaptation of concepts and theories to the realities on the ground. As a result, by presenting the common identifiers of landscapes influenced by the culture of both countries, it has been stated that the architectural landscape of Iran and Oman have a very close identity and it is possible for the two countries to form a cross-cultural framework. Finally, to achieve the aims of the research, recommendations have included exploiting common cultural values, using mechanisms that have been influenced by compatible cultures to shape the architectural landscape, using architectural and landscape shaping mechanisms influenced by the aligned culture, referring to the common symbols and models of both cultures by relying on religious structures and beliefs and avoiding emphasis on anti-value structures.

Keywords


Al-Salimi, A., Gaube, H. & Korn, L. (2013). Islamic Art in Oman. Oman: Ministry of Heritage & Culture and Ministry of Endowments & Religious Affairs.
Bourdieu, P. (1998). Teoria obiektów kulturowych. In: R. Nycz (ed.), Odkrywanie modernizmu. Kraków: Universalis, pp. 259–281.
Baronet, R., Muller, R. (1974). The Power of Multinational Corporations. NewYork: Simon & Schuster. 
Bonenberg, A. (2011). Beaty of the City—Urban Empathy. Case Study: Catania in Sicily. FA Poznan: FA Poznan University of Technology.
Britannica, T. (Editors of Encyclopaedia) (2023, Jan. 16). Sasanian dynasty. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved October 14, 2022 from: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sasanian-dynasty.
Buerkert, A. & Schlecht, E. (2010). Oasis of Oman; Livelihood Systems at the Crossroads. Muscat: Al Roya Press & Publishing House.
Castells, M. (1977). The Urban Question. Cambridge, London: MIT Press.
Durkheim, E. (1964). The Division of Labor in Society. New York: Macmillan Free Press.
Eshrati, P. & Hanachi, P. (2015).  A new definition of the concept of cultural landscape based on its formation process. Naqshejahan- Basic studies and New Technologies of Architecture and Planning, 5(3), 42-51.
Harvey, D. (1973). Social Justice and the City. London: Edward Arnold.
Memmott, P. & Keys, C. (2015). Redefining architecture to accommodate cultural difference: Designing for cultural sustainability. Architectural Science Review, 58(4), 278–289. 
Park, R., Burgess, E. & McKenzie, R. (1922). The City. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Payne, R. (2015). A State of Mixture: Christians, Zoroastrians, and Iranian Political Culture in Late Antiquity. Oakland: University of California Press.
Potts, D. T. (1990). Editorial. Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy, 1(1), 1–3. 
Rainer, R. (1977). Anonymes Bauen in Iran. Graz: Akademische Druck-und Verlagsanstalt. 
Robertson, R. (1994). Globalisation or glocalisation? Journal of International Communication, 1(1), 33–52.
Simmel, G. (1955). Conflict and the Web of Group Affiliations. Glencoe: The Free Press.
Weber, M., (1962). The City. New York: Colliers Books.
Wilkinson, J. C. (1972). The Origins of Omani State, In the Arabian Peninsula Society and Politics, CED, Derek Hopwood. London: Allen & Unwin.
Wirth, L. (1938). Urbanism as a way of life. American Journal of Sociology, 44, 1–24.