Document Type : Original Article
Authors
Kharazmi University
Abstract
The history of site selection and the establishment of the first settlements, including new villages and new towns with pre-designed layouts, dates back to the Iranian engineering system and subsequently to the Islamic era’s engineers. This process began centuries ago in the Iranian Plateau and Mesopotamia through intelligent site selection, purposeful planning of neighborhoods, and a neighborhood-centered approach. Initially applied in villages and later in cities, this approach is considered the first notable example of planning for new settlements. Inspired by the unifying actions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in organizing Mecca and Medina, the concept of neighborhood-centered planning was further expanded and adapted after his passing. The present study aims to review the early experiences of site selection and the establishment of new villages and towns in Iran and Mesopotamia, as well as to explain the focus of early Islamic-era Muslims on neighborhood-centered planning in rural and urban settlement development. The findings demonstrate three key points. First, reports by Muslim geographers and historians regarding field studies of neighborhoods (Khettat-writing) present a rich body of literature on site selection and settlement establishment during the Islamic era. Second, long before the modern European experiences of planned cities, settlements in Iran and Mesopotamia were designed and built based on proximity to water resources and ecological foundations. Third, neighborhood-centered planning laid the foundation for security, access to services, improved quality of life, and development in rural and urban areas during the early Islamic period.
Keywords
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