Open Collections

Abstract

This thesis explores the development of the city of Isfahan during the Safavid Empire (1501 – 1722), using the Zayanderud, a river that divides the city in half, as an anchor for understanding Isfahan’s urban development as a terrestrial replica of paradise, conceptualized through philosophical concept of chahar bagh, (four gardens of heaven). As the Zayanderud experiences drought and water depravity today, this thesis examines the impact of ecological change on the city’s foundational schema, arguing the Safavid urban design was structured around the relationship between the Zayanderud and Charbagh avenue. The research draws from scholarship from the Safavid and Qajar eras, as well as visual material, to trace and examine spatial and social transformations to the city over time. Through Michel Foucault’s theory of Heterotopia, this research investigates the philosophical effects of drought and loss, proposing that while the blueprints of Safavid Isfahan remain, they now operate as altered or alternative spaces: heterotopias. The research intends to shed light on new social and imaginative potentialities that may emerge in the absence of water.