The Social Impact of the Architectural Components of Safavid Bridges in Isfahan (Case Study: Khaju and Allahverdi Khan Bridges)

The target bridges in this study were constructed during the Safavid era in Isfahan city and are considered as one of the most important components of the urban structure; during history. They have shown various functions in addition to their role as a connecting route, which has varied from individual scale to collective spaces over time. This research study is trying to find out the architectural components affecting the public presence in these urban buildings, specifically in two bridges called, Allahverdi Khan (Si-o-se-pol) and Khajoo bridge in the contemporary era, to see if they would correspond the needs of today’s urban residents. To get this aim, the qualitative research approach was adopted based on an interview framework. To answer the questions was arranged based on three functional, physical, and structural aspects of these bridges, and a significant result was achieved by applying qualitative content analysis. The architectural components influencing the public presence were included eight general components and sub-components. These items were either in line with or opposite to each other, including the social functions and the contemporary space of bridges, the bridges’ cultural and physical structure, the shaping context of the bridges and the memorability of them, the environmental psychology and the related aesthetics aspects. According to the content analysis outcomes, a functional review of the space of these bridges in the future can lead to the qualitative improvement of architecture and space of them.