Karim Khan

The purpose of this study is to the development of creative industries through the development of cultural quarters within historical contexts as a creative strategy that affects the city as a whole and provides the field of competition and the possibility of being present at international levels. The research method is descriptive-analytical and its type is applied-developmental. The geographical area under study is "Karim Khan" street in Tehran, which has a rich historical and cultural identity. Therefore, using the hierarchical analysis process and "Lisrel" software, the cultural quarters' indicators were ranked and each one's importance was extracted. The findings, according to the calculations of the importance coefficient and the compatibility coefficient of each of the indicators in the study area, show that the "walkability" criterion, "the drivers of the creative economy", and the meaning index of a cultural quarter, the criterion of "evocativeness and urban memory" with importance coefficients of 0.62, 0.78, and 0.65 in the quarter have been assigned the highest rank among other indicators. And as a result, it was shown that the economic importance of sidewalks and the presence of active horizontal grains on the edges, the permeability of the passages, the safe accommodation for pedestrians, the facilities for the transportation of cars and their related services, as well as the quality of urban furniture and green spaces in the quarter as underlying factors. The instrument of creative development and the formation of the cultural quarters are the most important.

The Arg or Toopkhāneh Square was an essential part of Karim Khān's citadel complex in his new capital, Shīrāz, Iran, in the mid-18th century, which was destroyed in the early 1920s. However, the studies conducted regarding its form and functions have not been accurate enough, and their hypotheses are inconsistent with reality. This paper calls into question previous studies and takes a new look at the design, geometry, and spatial relations of the Square in the days of the Zand dynasty (17511794) and studies the changes of the Square in the Qājār (1789-1925) and Pahlavi (1925-1979) eras. This study analyzed European travelogues and historical photographs with little existing evidence by applying a historical research method. The study revealed that the Arg, later named Toopkhāneh Square, was rectangular, about 130 by 185 meters, with an east-west orientation. The Arg square and its adjacent buildings should be considered a governmental-military open space with various internal relations. The architecture of the main gate and the Naqqāra Khāneh mansion were the prominent features of this Square, and its location has always been questionable. The previous studies did not have a correct understanding of the location of the Naqqāra Khāneh, the number of entrances to the Square, the height of the walls of the Square, as well as its layout. Finally, it is crucial to notice that The design of this Square differs from the example of Naqsh-e Jahan Square in Safavid Isfahan and Toopkhāneh Square in Qājār Tehran.