Recognition of urban elements in city centrehierarchy in the urbanism methods of Islamic period of Iran

The recognition of main urban elements, specially the holy monuments, have had changed a lot in the image of the Islamic city since past to present. Façade, height and position of building are some of the ways of making recognition. In each period, some of the buildings with specific activities are recognized. Buildings which was mosque, bazaar, monastery, tomb, bath, reservoir, mounth, school or citadel, now is transformed to political, administrative, commercial or sometimes residential and religious one. It has root in the mind of the governors or the builder of the buildings that which one is more recognized. Among all of urban activities, the recognition of religious buildings is the most disputed one. The aim of this research is the typology of recognition of the main buildings of the city centre, specially the religious ones, in order to be beneficial for the contemporary urban design. This research initially tries to distinguish different types of recognition of special elements in the image of city, with the phenomenological approach from theory to practice. Then it attempts to assess them with theoretical and cultural criteria. According to the consequences, tWo types of encounter with the recognition of urban image can be distinguished. The first type is need – oriented and functionalist which follow emergence and recognition of buildings in plan, much more than image and dosent pay much attention to aesthetic preferences. This type of recognition was more common in the earlier periods of Islamic civilization (Khorasani Style) such as Naeen city centre. In the second type, the emphasis is on the aesthetic recognition of buildings, specially the religious ones. Cities which belong to this type, last two periods of conflicting identities. This evolution reached a balance between these orientations in the safavid period. This research tries to introduce the safavid period as a balanced tendency in consideration of proper recognition of each building and suggest the continuation of its patterns.