Interpreting Architectural History through Mud-brick Modularity and Construction Materials: Spatial Organization in Muzaffarid Domestic Architecture of Yazd, Iran
Bardia Hajirasouliha, Eisa Esfanjary Kenarib
Abstract
Bardia Hajirasouliha, Eisa Esfanjary Kenarib
Abstract
Muzaffarid houses in Yazd represent one of the earliest surviving traditions of domestic architecture in the Yazd-Ardekan plain. Despite their architectural significance, the role of mud-brick dimensions in shaping their geometric and spatial organization has received little attention. This paper investigates the dimensions of mud-bricks used in eighth-century AH houses and their relationship to the geometric organization of Muzaffarid domestic architecture. The research adopts a historical-analytical methodology based on field surveys and library research. Mud-brick dimensions were documented in surviving Muzaffarid houses and compared with those of earlier public buildings. Architectural plans and structural configurations were then analyzed to identify recurring dimensional and proportional relationships. The results indicate that Muzaffarid houses employed a relatively standardized mud-brick module that differed slightly from those used in public buildings constructed during the first half of the eighth century AH. Mud-brick dimensions governed wall thicknesses, courtyard proportions, suffa configurations, and the overall spatial organization of houses, revealing a coherent modular design system. The findings demonstrate that mud-brick functioned not only as a construction material but also as a proportional module that established geometric order and spatial coherence in the domestic architecture of fourteenth-century Yazd.
Keywords:
Mud-brick, Muzaffarid architecture, Architectural modularity, Spatial organization, Architectural metrology, Yazd, Iran