|
Architecture as Cultural Memory: A Lotmanian Reading of the Persistence of Literary Signs in Iranian Spatial Form
|
Nazi Arefnezhad   , Ahmad Karimi * , Naemeh Kialashaki , Ali Asgharzadeh |
| Islamic Azad University, Chalus Branch |
|
|
Abstract: (2 Views) |
Drawing on Yuri Lotman’s cultural semiotics, this article approaches Iranian architecture as a system of cultural memory in which literary signs, manifested through mythological narratives, mystical allegories, and collective narrative structures, are translated from text into space and stabilized within architectural form. Employing the concepts of secondary modeling systems and intersemiotic translation, the study argues that Iranian architecture does not merely reflect pre-existing meanings but actively functions as a medium for the reproduction and persistence of literariness within cultural memory. The research adopts a layered analytical framework of architectural memory, consisting of symbolic, allegorical–mystical, and ritual-social levels, enabling a systematic examination of how literary signs are transformed into spatial organization. Through case studies of the Taq-e Kasra as the spatial articulation of a mythological narrative of cosmic order, the Jameh Mosque of Isfahan as the embodiment of the allegory of the spiritual journey, and Naqsh-e Jahan Square as a manifestation of collective and polyphonic narration, the article demonstrates that literary signs in Iranian culture attain spatial experientiality through architecture. The findings indicate that Iranian architecture operates as one of the most enduring media for the translation, stabilization, and continuity of literary meaning within cultural memory.
|
|
| Keywords: Cultural Memory, Cultural Semiotics, Secondary Modeling Systems, Iranian Architecture, Literary Signs, Persistence of Meaning |
|
|
Full-Text [PDF 597 kb]
(2 Downloads)
|
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2025/12/31 | Accepted: 2026/06/29
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Send email to the article author |
|
|
|
| Add your comments about this article |
|
|
|
