Biophilic Development Paradigm for Mountainous Areas of Kurdistan

Review Article

Austin J Bus Adm Manage. 2024; 8(1): 1067.

Biophilic Development Paradigm for Mountainous Areas of Kurdistan

Sayed-Vafa Hosseini; Mohammad Reza Bemanyan*

Department of Architecture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

*Corresponding author: Mohammad Reza Bemanyan Department of Architecture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran. Email: bemanian@modares.ac.ir

Received: December 04, 2023 Accepted: January 10, 2024 Published: January 17, 2024

Abstract

Aims: The foundation of the biophilic development paradigm is based on constructive interaction between humans and nature and how to properly exploit it for mental health. We have focused on the mountainous nature of Kurdistan, and aimed to investigate how its inhabitants interact with nature in the context of time. Particularly, we have noticed a deep gap caused by the effects of the industrial revolution and the modern era, which calls for immediate response. Thus, the main goal of our project is to remove this gap from the path of excellence and growing architecture and urban development in the Kurdistan region.

Methods: In our historical investigations, in addition to the way residents interact with nature, their characteristic actions that caused biological values in their culture and architecture was identified. Then, in our data analysis, we confirmed it to the principles of biophilic architecture. Finally, we present our findings in the form of residential building designs for the mountainous areas in Kurdistan.

Findings: Human is in contact with nature through his five senses as well as his power of thinking and reasoning. For example, the first prominent human sense, which is sight, and opening the eyes in front of the wide view of nature, which creates a relationship between human and nature that brings peace and comfort. Due to its mountainous nature, Kurdistan has lows and highs that are spread regularly and successively with irregular heights in the land bed. This mountainous climate creates a dynamic landscape from the observer›s point of view that generates unique features, which humans can benefit from with the capacity of all their senses. Therefore, by identifying the main elements in the architecture of the past and adapting it to scientific and updated methods in the present era, we present our findings in the form of 14 principles that we applied in the design of buildings in mountainous and sloping areas, which bring the beautiful and pristine nature of the environment into the architecture.

Conclusion: By testing the research findings in the form of a design algorithm for architecture in the mountainous regions of Kurdistan, we realized the necessity for the presence of nature in the architecture and urban planning in Kurdistan. The peace and comfort of the residents in man-made environments with modern architecture and urban development depends substantially on returning to the lap of nature. Therefore, the land of Kurdistan with its vastness and high capacity can remain as a prominent example in the direction of achieving this goal, just like its position in history as the cradle of civilization.

Keywords: Biophilic Development; Kurdistan Nature; Systematic Approach; Stable Landscape

Introduction

Kurdistan, encompasses an extended area of Mesopotamia including Zagros, South and Southeast Anatolia with regular lows and heights caused by orogeny of the third geological period. Despite the prevalence of wide flatlands in Kurdistan, it is the source of the big and roaring rivers such as Tigris and Euphrates, Zarinee River and Sefid River, Karun, Karkheh, Dez and Simreh. Moreover, according to Ralph Solecki, no cave can be identified as older than the Shanidar Cave in Kurdistan until this point in time, which contains the works of modern humans 65,000 years ago [1]. Shanidar Cave in Iraqi Kurdistan near the Tigris is one of the hundreds of caves, which were human habitats in the period between 35,000 and 40,000 BC. Extensive studies about the Shanidar Cave indicate that the early inhabitants and the main owners of modern human civilization in that part of the mountain, are the ancestors of today's Kurdish-speaking residents in that area, who were mainly cultivating the seeds of plants. They were the first users of flowers, who used to shower the dead with flowers, which is one of the indications for the beginning of modern human civilization [1].

These caves, appeared in the third geological period mostly in the form of karst on the chest of the rocks. They exist both in full and empty form and are placed organically in the geography of rock masses, and so are camouflaged within their beautiful environment. This feature has created a safe environment for the growth and upbringing of its residents over time. The entrance of the caves, which generally has a wide view of the surrounding flatlands, in addition to being scenic, it has served as a suitable observation point for the cave dwellers to control the entry and exit of their prey or to protect themselves from their enemies. These natural shelters in the vicinity of flatlands, surrounded frequently by fruitful trees, flowers and plants, are the main secrets underlying the survival of the Kurdish ancestors. These caves accommodate mineral springs and beautiful rivers flowing inside due to the melting of mountain snows. The heat inside the caves had brought the cave dwellers a safe house in the winter, while they could still enjoy a cool atmosphere in the summer. With the growth of the modern human population, the cave dwellers spread throughout the caves of Zagros and Anatolia in search of similar places. It seems that the fear of the desert and being trapped in the open environment prevented them from moving towards the central plains of Iran and present-day Iraq. Therefore, after several millennia of living in the heart of caves and mountains, they again used the same natural model in building castles. They thus built their architecture and urban development on the hills by using available local stone materials. The castles of the Urarti, Hoti, Goti, Lulobi, Mananai, Sami and Scythian kingdoms were built on the hills over a period of time.

In addition to having natural values, caves and hills have been used as residences, hideouts, places of worship, or places to keep domestic animals. Moreover, humans have sometimes manipulated caves and added human elements to them by creating Stone inscriptions and petroglyphs. Therefore, nowadays, many researchers in various scientific fields, including geology, biology, archeology and anthropology, refer to caves as windows to the past, which have attracted various research efforts. For example, detailed studies of Dr. Dalley at Oxford University have shown that in the third millennium BC, the rulers and kings of the region created hanging gardens [2]. Moreover, it was also proven that these gardens, which were among the seven wonders and masterpieces of the gardening art, belong to the ancestors of the Kurdistan residents in the third millennium BC. The secret of all this beauty remained a mystery to the visitors for thousands of years until Dr. Dalley revealed it by using stone reliefs and careful study of inscriptions. In addition to that, the existence of the legend of Samiratis of Shah Dokht, one of the rulers of the Zagros region of Mananai, located in the present-day Ziviyah of Saqqez, who became the wife of one of the descendants of the Assyrian kings located west of the Tigris between Mosul and modern-day Erbil, is indicated in the continuation of this story. Shah Dokht's distance from the natural beauties of Eastern Kurdistan makes him feel homesick and depressed. For the joy and relief of boredom and depression of this Shah Dokht, hanging gardens were created to remind the beauty of the mountains with roaring waters and dense masses of trees on the heights of the mountains. Therefore, the ancient story can be a 5000-year-old model to prove the theory of biophilic development paradigm in the distant past in the studied area. Therefore, the coexistence of the residents of Kurdistan with the pristine nature in the time frame of 65,000 years can be a proof of the richness of nature, which has nurtured its residents like a kind mother.

This peaceful way of human life in the beautiful nature of Kurdistan, while creating a rich and ancient culture of the Kurds in this region of the world, and maintaining and evolving it over time, continued its very natural process until the modern era during the past century, with the arrival of today's modern artefacts and the change of architectural and urban planning patterns and the accelerated use of fossil fuels, which have crushed the natural cycle of the urban life. The thing to consider is that if this trend is not curbed by landscape architects and creative urban planners and designers, in addition to the severity of environmental problems in the world community, it will destroy the rich culture and civilization of the region. Therefore, the authors of this research, after a brief overview of the history of the coexistence of the residents of Kurdistan in the Zagros and Anatolian mountains, by using the 14 principles of biophilic design, try to provide a framework suitable for the nature of Kurdistan according to the model presented in Figure 1.