Traditional Shopping A Syntactic Comparison of Commercial Spaces in Iran and Turkey Erincik EDGÜ PhD, Assistant Professor, Cyprus International University

Traditional Shopping A Syntactic Comparison of Commercial Spaces in Iran and Turkey

Erincik EDGÜ PhD, Assistant Professor, Cyprus International University Alper ÜNLÜ PhD, Professor, Istanbul Technical University Mehmet Emin ŞALGAMCIOĞLUPhD Candidate, Research Assistant, Istanbul Technical University Ashkan MANSOURIPhD Candidate, Istanbul Technical University

Space Syntax Symposium 8 / 3-6 January 2012 / Santiago, Chile

Commerce is an ancient economical system that establishes legal and ethical foundations, improving cultural relations, on safe and secure routes

Silk Road was once the most important route of commerce, knowledge, philosophy, religion, art and architecture, science and technology, which connects the great civilizations of Far East to the West

Extending over 8000 km, The Silk Road developed and interconnected networks linking traders, merchants, pilgrims, monks, missionaries, soldiers, nomads, urban dwellers and intellectuals from East, South and Western Asia with the Mediterranean World, including North Africa and Europe for thousands of years

Commerce and Silk Road

E. EDGÜ, A. ÜNLÜ, M. E. ŞALGAMCIOĞLU, A.MANSOURI Space Syntax Symposium 8 / 3-6 January 2012 / Santiago, Chile

2nd century BC to 4th century AD

5th century AD to beginning of 13th century AD

13th century AD to 16th century AD

The Silk Roads


Commerce and Silk Road

The Interaction of different cultures through commerce helped to develop a traditional insight to shopping activity and design that are being preserved in the hearts of cities situated on the ancient routes and ports of the Silk Road

Traditional Islamic Bazaars are generally built in a long time period through centuries with organic patterned extensions

Islamic Bazaars also had connections to important religious, governmental or public buildings, and defined the major streets of urban fabric



Commerce and Guild System

Bazaar organizations were formed according to hierarchically developing guild system

In Guild System apprentice-master relationship is the most important phenomenon, forming the vertical line

Guilds of various artisans and craftsmen were forming the horizontal line in terms of locations of the manufacturers, merchants and such in the traditional shopping areas

Research Area

In this research we compared the physical layout of traditional covered bazaars (CB) of the two most important regions of the Silk Road route: . Persia (Iran). Ottoman Empire (Turkey)

The covered bazaars are studied in the context of two former capitals influencing the cultural, architectural and legal characteristics of the era: . Tabriz. Istanbul


Social Aspects

In Turkish social system, covered bazaars are usually built as a part of a larger complex including hamams, soup kitchens etc.

This kind of larger complex is a source of revenue for mosques, religious or charitable trusts known as foundations (vakif)

In Vakifs, the donated assets cannot be turned over to individuals or institutionsE. EDGÜ, A. ÜNLÜ, M. E. ŞALGAMCIOĞLU, A.MANSOURI Space Syntax Symposium 8 / 3-6 January 2012 / Santiago, Chile

Istanbul TabrizIn Iranian system covered bazaars are built by state authorities or wealthy individuals solely for the purpose of commerce

If build by individuals, may also include public amenities such as hamams, schools, soup kitchens

Iranian bazaars have a strong political and/or religious rituals, acting as a reflection of social indicator

Spatial Definitions

Rāstās or arastas : Linear shopping strips, covered passageways

Chārsugs or çarşıs : Intersection points of shopping strips

Sarās or hans : Former accommodation buildings, guild centers

Bedesten : The covered and enclosed core building in Turkish Covered Bazaars (CB)

Meydans : Squares, serving as the hubs of the street network


Samples of rāstās or arastas with different typologies always include a pedestrian area

chārsug or çarşı is composed of these group of shops


Spatial Definitions

a sample of an enclosed bedesten with two entrances

sarā or han with the courtyard

Spatial Definitions


Iranian CasePhysical layout

Iranian bazaar structure relies on linear shopping strips

Rāstās combined to compose chārsugs at intersections

Sara serving as the hubs of the network

Bazaars are formed either organic or planned

Usually located at the center of the cities

The layouts are usually linear in shape, defining the public and socio-cultural spaces


The site plan of The Tabriz Bazaar divided by Mehran River

Linear shopping strips

Rāstās combined to compose chārsugs at intersections

Sara serving as the hubs of the network

Physical layout


Turkish CasePhysical layout

Bedesten - the covered and enclosed core building, where the most expensive and valuable goods are exchanged - determines the formation of the whole bazaar

Contrary to usually timber-framed linear shops, bedesten (closed hub with an inner courtyard) and arastas (linear shopping strips) of the Turkish bazaars are predesigned and built in single sessions without any expansion

However if expansion is needed new arastas are built in gridiron blocks


Old Bedesten located at the center Sandal Bedesten on lower right

Bedesten (closed hub with an inner courtyard) Arastas (linear shopping strip) are always built in gridiron blocks

Site Plan of The Grand Bazaar

Physical layout


We assume that Gridiron-Nodal type of spatial configuration of the bazaars boosts social gatheringsLinear-Clustered articulation and spatial configuration of the bazaars boosts pedestrian flow changes in terms of function

Accumulation of various architectural elements, location of tradesmen/craftsmen, guild system are the key factors of bazaar formation and user perception

University of Michigan’s Syntax 2D software is executed to calculate the circularity and integration n values in order to understand the spatial relations in Covered Bazaars (CB)

Study is based on situation of sites at the beginning of 20th Century

Scope – Method


In many of the Islamic societies, various intermediating units were created to carry out relations between the government and the individual. Guild system (lonca) was one of these organisations in charge of professions

-Guilds had economic, fiscal, administrative and social functions - Guilds had a framework of rules and customs, partly unwritten

but orally transmitted and partly laid down in official regulations- Apprentices were affiliated with the guild through their masters - The presence of guilds affected the formation of shopping strips- This system helped to facilitate the customer’s circulation and

comparison, maintained the quality and price control for both- On the other hand, shops cannot compete on the basis of their

location advantages

Scope – Method Guilds


We question the characteristics of Guild system location wise and examine if individual incentives are also seen

Following trading sectors are analysed: - Gold / Jewellery sellers, Goldsmiths- Silver sellers, Silversmiths- Copper makers and copper sellers- Metal works, iron works.- Clothing and accessories like hats- Carpet sellers- Leather works, shoe, bag, purse sellers, mink sellers- Silk, cotton, etc. fabric sellers and products of textile- Wooden works and carpenters, furniture- Glass works, Glass and Mirror sellers

Scope – Method Guilds – Trading Activities in Tabriz and Istanbul Covered Bazaars


Spatial Configuration


The allocation of bazaar functions in The Grand Bazaar of Istanbul (left) and The Tabriz Bazaar (right)


The allocation of bazaar functions in The Grand Bazaar of Istanbul

- Istanbul CB reflects a gridiron structure, reinforcing main arteries and streets intersecting with each other

- In both bazaars we see the effects of linear based typology of rāstās and arastas however developed in different structural layouts

- Bedestens of Istanbul have unique positions in CB both in syntactic and semantic level


The allocation of bazaar functions in The Tabriz Bazaar

- Tabriz CB does not directly expose any grid or intersections

- The formation of sarās alongside the main arteries is the basic philosophy of configuration

- Sarās present a uniform layout through the bazaar but, in Istanbul they are located outside the CB core

- Tabriz shopping is organized through less integrated sarās while Istanbul shopping is organized through integrated arastas

Simplified schemas of spatial configuration in Tabriz and Istanbul covered bazaars

sara

rasta

arasta

bedesten

rasta

rasta rasta

sara

sara

sara

sara

bedesten

arasta

arasta

arasta

- Comparison of spatial configurations based on parameters such as mean depth and integration levels

- The depth or shallowness of spaces, may be related with the determinants of social structure in these cultures

In the comparison of spatial configurations, the diameter around

the centre of the covered bazaars is determined as 750 meters due to the maximum distance of the pedestrian’s walk in both cities

The University of Michigan software, Syntax 2D is used in for the syntactic calculations, and SPSS for correlations of the obtained numeric data

Analysis – Method Syntactic Aspect of the research


- Circularity - Integration n

Circularity analysis is crucial for examining the compactness of the spaces - Visit durations or motivations on using, visiting a street, and passing through it- Integration n gives integration levels as well as the connectivity.

The circularity is one of the Benedikt’s geometric measures from which isovist fields could be established.

- Circularity is a measure of compactness, defined as the ratio of the square of the perimeter to area

- Circularity is not only a measure of how well a space approximates a circle, but is also a measure of the viewpoint’s position within the space

- Circularity is also a measure of the centrality of the viewpoint within the space - Determined by calculating the area of a perfect circle, whose radius is set to the

mean radial length of the isovist and then dividing this by the area of the isovist

Analysis – Method Syntactic Aspect of the research


When Syntax 2D is applied with the diameter of 750 meters, the outcomes in mean integration n values for both of the Covered Bazaars present a striking difference

The mean of calculated integration n (MI-n) value is :

0.797 for Istanbul 0.0794 for Tabriz

The values show that Tabriz is extremely deep, approximately 10 times deeper than Istanbul in comparison

Gridiron structure provides circularity and shallowness when compared to linear/clustered structure of Tabriz

AnalysisSyntactic Comparisons


AnalysisIntegration n analyses of Tabriz CB and Istanbul CB (produced by Syntax 2D)


Tabriz CB Istanbul CB

AnalysisCircularity analyses of Tabriz CB and Istanbul CB (produced by Syntax 2D)

Tabriz CB Istanbul CBE. EDGÜ, A. ÜNLÜ, M. E. ŞALGAMCIOĞLU, A.MANSOURI Space Syntax Symposium 8 / 3-6 January 2012 / Santiago, Chile

Sectors of TradesmenPossible average Impact Ratio (MRI n) for Tabriz

and CI (circularity) values with degrees

Location in Tabriz CBPossible average Impact

Ratio (MRI n) for Istanbul and CI (circularity) values

with degreesLocation in Istanbul CB

Gold / Jewellery sellers, Goldsmiths

Degree: 2nd MRI n=0.064x106

CI=55

Deep in the CB. Depth value is high.

Degree: 4th - 5th MRI n=1.24x106

CI=1020 (2nd-5th)

Located on the main arteries and some inner streets

Silver sellersDegree: 2nd MRI n=0.032x106

CI=136

Located around the courtyards

Degree: 2nd - 4th MRI n=0.75x106

CI=433 (1st-2nd)

Located around the bedesten and streets

Copper makers and copper sellers

Degree: 2nd - 3rd MRI n=0.138x106

CI=152Located in the edge

Degree: 2nd

MRI n=0.4x106

CI=349 (1st-2nd)

Low integration located in the edge

Metal works, iron worksDegree: 2nd - 3rd MRI n=0.092x106

CI=250

Inserted in copper makers

Degree: 1st MRI n=0.07x106

CI=380 (1st-2nd)

Located in the edge, deep spaces or around the bedesten

Clothing, accessoriesDegree: 1st – 5th MRI n=0.088x106


Degree: 3rd - 4th

MRI n=1.02x106

CI=360 (1st-2nd)

More integrated, on the streets, close the main arteries

Carpet sellersDegree: 1st MRI n=0.008 x106

CI=174

Low integration, located around the courtyards / nodes

Degree: 3rd - 4th

MRI n=1.16x106

CI=1100 (2nd-4th)

Located on the centre, on the streets, more integrated

Leather works, shoe, bag, purse sellers, mink sellers

Degree: 1st - 2nd MRI n=0.040 x106

CI=142

Low integration, located on the streets

Degree: 2nd - 4th MRI n=0.88x106

CI=766 (1st-3rd)

Located around the bedesten or streets

Fabric, Textile works, silk sellers

Degree: 1st - 3rd MRI n=0.051 x106

CI=193

Located around the courtyard, located on the second type of arteries

Degree: 3rd - 4th MRI n=1.19x106

CI=933 (1st-3rd)

Located on the main arteries and sometimes gridiron nodes

Wooden works and carpenters, furniture

Degree: 1st - 2nd MRI n=0.035 x106

CI=45

Located on the edge and the type is mainly street


CI=516 (1st-2nd)

Located around the courtyard

Glass works, Glass and Mirror sellers



Degree: 3rd MRI n=0.89x106

CI=266 (1st-2nd)

On the specific called, moderately integrated streets


Analysis

The highest rankings for integration of Istanbul CB :1-Gold 2-Textile 3-CarpetThe highest rankings for circulation of Istanbul CB :1-Carpet 2-Gold 3-Textiledisplaying the main trades in Istanbul Covered Bazaar.These trading sectors also exhibit more circularity in terms of ranking 1st – 3rd in Istanbul.

The highest rankings for Integration of Tabriz CB :1-Copper 2-Metal 3-Clothes The highest rankings for circulation of Tabriz CB :1-Metal 2-Textile 3-CarpetAs the most accessible sector, metal works present a high integration value with the highest circularity, where Metal and Clothes Sectors have low circularity levels.On the other hand, Textile and carpet sectors have high circularity values with low integration.E. EDGÜ, A. ÜNLÜ, M. E. ŞALGAMCIOĞLU, A.MANSOURI Space Syntax Symposium 8 / 3-6 January 2012 / Santiago, Chile

Analysis

Trading Sectors

Ranking of TABRIZ

INTEGRATION

Ranking of TABRIZ

CIRCULARITY

Ranking of ISTANBUL

INTEGRATION

Ranking of ISTANBUL

CIRCULARITY

GOLD 4 9 1 2

SILVER 9 6 7 6

COPPER 1 5 8 9

METAL 2 1 10 7

CLOTHES 3 8 4 8

CARPET 10 3 3 1

LEATHER 7 7 6 4

TEXTILE 6 2 2 3

WOOD 8 10 9 5

GLASS 5 4 5 10

The Comparison of Ranks due to Integration and Circularity Values of Trading Sectors in Tabriz and Istanbul CBs (1 is the highest, 10 is the lowest)


Analysis

Gold, Textile, Carpet sectors are important for Istanbul in terms of circularity and integration levels

Istanbul has gridiron structure, this kind of spatial configuration that is dependent to system, makes trading sectors like gold, textile and carpet more integrated with higher circularity values

Tabriz has sarās and sara configurations which are independent in the system makes even the important trading sectors less integrated and low circularity valuedTabriz CB also have sarās with less integrated location in the system having higher circularity values as a result of the independent spatial configuration

DiscussionAnalysis


Istanbul- Gridiron Istanbul CB presents a hierarchy of spaces in relation to

trading sectors- Wide and long axis boosts the accessibility and circularity - The important trading sectors allocates on the main arteries

and they have higher circularity values in the schema

Tabriz- Clustered Tabriz CB controversially, presents the independent

shopping areas that are bound each other on two main axes- Each sara presents a high value in circularity, but low in

integration- The location of trading sectors does not show correlation

between integration and circularity

DiscussionAnalysis


Iranian and Turkish covered bazaars share many similarities; however, Tabriz example has a clustered, sequentially linked structure affecting the shopping activity

Clustered structure in Tabriz CB presents independency in shopping activities based on sara formationsThe Courtyard based trading sectors create independent but enclaved areas for shopping in Tabriz

Gridiron plan of Istanbul enlarges the shopping activity with high permissiveness between the sectors

Conclusion


The movement is more distributed in areas that provide opportunities to discover new visual information as we have seen in Istanbul CBIstanbul’s Gridiron structure allows people to move forward to every direction as they perceive and walk around different parts of the bazaar

In Tabriz, visual choices are extremely limited because of independent sarās and linear configuration of the Bazaar when compared to Istanbul. We tend to move on determined paths and avoid adventures in the Tabriz CB’s situation.

Conclusion


Tabriz CB preserves its original purpose of shopping by variety of goods

Istanbul CB preserves the bedesten based goods with relatively expensive goods on the highly integrated central axes.

As the guild system works in similar ways in both bazaars corresponding to the beginning of 20th century, pedestrian circulation is through:- directed routes in Istanbul - dispersed but longer routes in Tabriz

Conclusion


Tabriz Case

1- Segment Based Schema (sara)

2- Limited Circularity

3- Low Integration Level for Segments (for sarās in General system)

4- Limited Visuality in Sarās

5- Trading Limited in Segments

Istanbul Case

1-Grideron Based Schema Occurred Around Arasta/Bedesten.

2- High Value in Circularity

3- High Integration Level in General

4- High Level of Visuality

5- Trading is Expandable

Conclusion



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Documents

Traditional Shopping A Syntactic Comparison of Commercial Spaces in Iran and Turkey Erincik EDGÜ PhD, Assistant Professor, Cyprus International University