Die Blaue Moschee von Täbris im 19. Jahrhundert – als Zeugnis von Zerstörung, Transformation und baulicher Resilienz nach Erdbebenereignissen. Lithografie nach Zeichnung von E. Flandin, in: Eugène Flandin / Pascal Coste: Voyage en Perse, Paris: Baudry, 1843–1854, Tafel (Ruined Mosque, Tabriz). Digitalisat, gemeinfrei.
Krisen und urbane Resilienz in der islamischen Welt
The course examines this topic through cities and architectural complexes of the Islamic world and analyzes how natural disasters, political conflicts, and economic transformations shape urban structures and built ensembles.
It focuses on selected case studies from Central Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. It addresses the impacts of historical earthquakes – such as in Aleppo (1138) and Tabriz (1780) – as well as destruction and reconstruction, for example in Bam after 2003. In addition, political and social transformations are considered that reshaped urban structures, including the transformation of Isfahan after the end of Safavid rule in the 18th century, changes during the Iran–Iraq War (1980–88), and interventions in historic urban centers in Central Asia in the 20th century.
Structural crisis processes are also examined, including epidemics in the Ottoman Empire, changes in bazaar economies, the decline of Silk Road routes, and colonial planning interventions in Cairo, Algiers, and Tunis. Alongside these, environmental adaptation strategies are analyzed, such as qanat systems, wind towers (badgir), and courtyard houses in cities like Marrakesh and Cairo. Oasis and trading cities such as Samarkand and Bukhara are also included, whose urban structures are closely linked to water infrastructure and long-distance trade.
The course combines architectural, urban, and cultural-historical perspectives and analyzes how crises shape the built environment and reconstruction processes through various actors. It also reflects on how historical adaptation strategies inform contemporary challenges such as climate change and