An Investigation of Models of Installation of Memorial Buildings in the Two Urban Axes of the 9th and 10th Centuries AH based on Two Historical Texts

Herat and Cairo were two important Islamic cities in the Middle East, from the seventh to the ninth century AH. Cairo was the capital city of the Mamluks and Herat was the capital city of the Timurid government in Iran. In this paper, the construction of important urban monuments and buildings in the two main arteries, Herat Street (southern part of it) and Cairo’s Qasabeh Street, was examined. The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate and analyze the similarities and structural differences in these two important urban arteries and, as a result, to understand the effects of each one on the other. The main research question raised in this study is what similarities and differences do the two constructions built by the Herat Street and Qasabeh Street have? This study is an analytical-historical research one and the data were gathered based on library research based on two main resources. The data were also compared with other less-important resources. The results of this research indicated that the memorial complexes in Qasabeh Street and the southern part of Herat Street had some similarities.‏ In most of these constructions, with public and religious uses, architectural complexes, alongside the tomb of the creator of the complex, were all built along the street. The layout of these complexes along the route, in addition to decorating the city walls, made these streets look like Mazar Street (khiyaban-Mazar). It should also be noted that, in the comparison between two streets, there was an urban order in the way the buildings were constructed along Herat Street. Overall, based on the findings of this study, it could be concluded that in the seventh to tenth centuries AH, a type of urban axis design was common in the Middle East in which the type of installation and use of buildings in the direction of the axis was considered.