The restoration and reopening of the palace of Khwaja Malek Maragheh and the feasibility of its revival

Master's Thesis in the field of Restoration and Revival of Historical Buildings and Textures

September 1393

Abstract:

The traditional markets of Iran, as a part of the long lasting heritage of Iranian culture, have played a role as an economic, social and cultural institution for a long time, and are rightly considered a living cultural heritage. This issue is also true in relation to the traditional market of Maragheh city. The old structure of the market of Maragheh is the place of many historical palaces left from the Qajar period, and one of these valuable buildings is the historical palace of Khwaja Molkom. In addition to introducing the building, its pathology and presenting a basic restoration plan, this thesis aims to revive this valuable building, taking into account its spatial and physical capabilities and by defining the correct and appropriate use of the building, in order to meet the needs of the community and change the view of the residents of Baft towards the old buildings, and also provide the protection of the building. The results of this thesis show that this building and its valuable historical context have many characteristics and potentials for revival and modernization, in compliance with the principles of conservation. The research method of this thesis aims to: Practical and in terms of method: Descriptive, analytical and comparative and data collection method: Field library and analysis method: It can be qualitative.

Keyword: Maragheh, Sera,  Sarai Khwaja‌Malkom, Restoration, Revival

1  The first chapter

  Research overview

1-1  Introduction

Construction of caravanserais has been of special interest in Iran since ancient times due to the social, economic and religious conditions. In general, caravanserais are divided into two groups: outside the city and inside the city. The inner-city caravanserai is one of the structural elements of the Islamic city. The construction of caravanserais was not only special outside the city, but also caravanserais were built inside the city for the accommodation of travelers and merchants, of course, most of the caravanserais next to the market had a commercial aspect, and merchants of all trades operated in the caravanserais nearby or inside the market. In the recent period, caravanserais inside the city are usually called "sera". With the decrease in the economic prosperity of the historical context and the change of the commercial and transportation systems and the tendency of people to go to the streets and passages, the inner-city caravanserais fell from prosperity and are mostly unused or play a minor role in the context. For many years, living in the historical context has been associated with many social, cultural and economic problems for its residents. The historical fabric of Maragheh, as a national capital, is one of the examples of valuable fabrics that have undergone many unpleasant transformations due to the arrogance of managers and local residents and the ineffectiveness of the management system. In the meantime, the palaces are mostly left to themselves or in some cases it is limited to handling, considering that the revival of these spaces can create an effective role in the atmosphere of the revival of the historical context, it requires research and spending money. Sarai Khawaja Mulkam is also one of these buildings that has been neglected in recent years. In this project, we will try to save this national capital from nothingness and by looking at the past, we will draw a bright future, which will be more and more dynamic as a result of the building and ultimately the historical context.

1-2  Statement of the issue

Khwajeh Mulkam Palace belongs to the Qajar period and is located in Maragheh, between Khajeh Nasir Street and Mosli Square, in Salar Khaneh neighborhood. This work was registered as one of Iran's national works on June 10, 2002 with registration number 8906. This building was registered in the name of Mr. Malkam Aftandinan, known as Khaja Malkam, who was an Armenian and a businessman. The building consists of different parts from one to three floors.

Today, the courtyard of the building is used as a car parking lot and the rooms are used as grocery stores. The vaults and arches used in the building and the way the windows are framed are among the prominent features of this building.

Among the issues that make it mandatory to grant a restoration plan to this building:

1. So far, no restoration plan has been presented for this historical monument.

2. Erosion and gradual destruction of the building due to lack of attention to its fundamental restoration.

3. The loss of the cultural and historical value of this collection in the public mind.

4. Assigning an unrelated user to the building.

5. Many cultural and security problems in the building.

6. Anomalous condition and apparent disorder in the building.

As one of the historical and valuable buildings of the city, this mansion can play its role better and more than before in the course of restoration and revitalization projects; Therefore, in this research, an attempt has been made to provide a suitable restoration and revitalization plan to preserve this valuable building with a detailed knowledge of the building, as well as an examination of its technology and pathology.

1-3  The Importance and Necessity of Research

Preservation and maintenance of historical works is very necessary because these works express the identity and culture of any society. In the said building, due to the large amount of destructions and turning part of the complex into an abandoned and worthless space, the need for protection and restoration is felt. In the same way, due to the non-original restorations and giving inappropriate use to the building, which has caused more damage and destruction of the originality of this historical building, it is necessary to apply the restoration plan and it becomes important to assess the feasibility of its restoration. It is obvious that bringing life back to this registered historical building can restore the originality of the building. In addition, there are many architectural and decorative values ??of historical and national importance in this work, the preservation of which requires identifying and preparing a suitable restoration plan.

1-4  Research objectives

Providing a plan for:

- Preventing the destruction and destruction of the building.

- Restoring the lost value to the building.

- Reviving and revitalizing the building by considering its proper and principled use.

1-5  Research method

1-5-1  The research method in terms of purpose

according to the purpose and nature of the research is of applied type.

1-5-2  The research method in terms of method

according to the type of building is the field research method.

1-5-3  Finding method

In line with the research, library and field methods have been used to collect information. The collection of part of the information from historical sources, books, documents and maps has been done in the library method, and direct observation and communication with the building, imaging, and information extraction has been done in the field method.

1-5-4  Analysis method

The analysis method is descriptive, comparative and analytical.

1-6  The research process

The first step includes library and field studies of the work and its surrounding environment. In the next step, we will deal with the inventory of the work and the preparation of its maps, as well as the preparation of important documents such as photographs, old images, comparative studies, remaining evidence, as well as interviews with informed people, the physical condition and original architecture of the collection. In the next stage, the pathology of the effect and the presentation of restoration solutions are done; And finally, by examining the potentials of the collection, a suitable restoration and revitalization plan will be presented.

1-7  The spatial scope of the research

The spatial scope of the research is Maragheh city located in East Azarbaijan province.

1-8  The time domain of the research

In the field of related studies, the time period in which the building was built belongs to the Qajar and Pahlavi eras, and in the continuation of the research, from today's point of view, the study has been studied to achieve the restoration plan of the work.

1-9  Limitations of research

In the way of studying and knowing a historical building, the most important limitation is the destruction of parts of the building, which complicates the discussion of studying and knowing a building. The next thing, which is considered as one of the limitations of the work, is the lack of sufficient documents and building plans.