RESEARCH PROJECTS

C01: West Asian Cities from the Middle period to the Modern period

C01 aims to obtain a diachronic understanding of the geographical change and the network transformation of the major cities in the medieval and modern West Asia. It also leads to reconsideration of the “Islamic cities,” which were usually composed of diverse religious and ethnic groups. C01 also analyzes the multi-layered structure of West Asian cities by focusing on the coexistence and antagonism between residents with varied awareness of their cultural identities, the ways of preserving cultural heritage, and urban restoration after calamities.

Research Group 05:
Historical research on the urban structure of West Asian “Islamic cities”

This research group targets “Islamic cities” in West Asia from the middle period to the modern period, and focuses on (1) the geospatial transformation process of political and economic core cities and the wide network of their urban cultures, (2) the social space of traditional cities as well as Islamic culture on which urban life was largely based, (3) the city formation and its historical features (particularly the early-modern period and modern period) in the inland and coastal areas of West Asia. The research group also attempts to examine the structure and transformation of regional networks of settlements surrounding cities, and to reconsider the social structure and functions of “Islamic cities.” Overviewing the historical development of cities in the different parts of West Asia, we center on core cities such as Damascus, Cairo, Baghdad, and Isfahan, and analyze them from different perspectives including formation of Muslim and non-Muslim quarters, expansion of urban areas, development of commercial facilities such as markets and caravansaries, and function of religious institutions such as mosques and churches. Our research method involves the use of historical sources written in different languages as well as intensive fieldwork in particular cities. The use of Geospatial Information System (GIS) will also serve to visualize the diachronic transformation process of urban spatial structure and regional networks. Particular emphasis falls on the continuity between the ancient and Islamic West Asia, which has been overlooked in this research area; this perspective will throw into relief the characteristics of Islamic urban civilization in the whole history of the region.

Research Organization

Project Leader
Tomoko Morikawa West Asian History; Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology and Faculty of Letters, The University of Tokyo
Co-investigator
Nobutaka Nakamachi Medieval History; Faculty of Letters, Konan University
Minoru Inaba Central Asian History; Institute for Research in Humanities, Kyoto University
Naoko Fukami Islamic architecture; Institute for Cultural Studies of Ancient Iraq, Kokushikan University
Akihiko Yamaguchi Kurdish History; Faculty of Global Studies, Sophia University
Hidemitsu Kuroki Middle Eastern Study; Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies

 

Research Group 06:
A planning study on the multilayered urban fabric in the Western Asia

Taking into consideration the series of archaeological and historical research progress, this urban planning approach focuses on the essence of urban civilization from a modern perspective. Many attractive cities exist in the West Asia, which prides themselves on their history over thousands of years. Courtyards are allowing light and ventilation into densely populated urban space, blind alleys protecting the residents’ privacy, and the adjacent and cooperative space between Christian churches and mosques are required to receive the life and culture unique to the region. Urban space—which has been destroyed and abolished over time and only remains as ruins—carries meaning as a cultural heritage that testifies how a diverse and multi-layered culture had coexisted and accumulated. Therefore, this approach from a modern perspective towards historical cities is defined by positioning cities in modern society and obtaining an outlook for urban conservation and inheritance. This research group investigates issues such as planned urban expansion which occurs in line with a rapid population increase; the conservation and inheritance of historical space; resilience through the coexistence of various values; disaster prevention and restoration. This approach presents guidelines for the contemporary succession of the essence of cities, such as urban planning, war and disaster reconstruction, and protection of cultural properties, which are conducted on the base of international cooperation. The regions subject to this approach have largely selected historical cities in the West Asia (including North Africa) but particularly focus on historical cities such as in Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Algeria. In addition, West Asia is connected to Europe through the Mediterranean Sea, as well as being connected to Asia through the Silk Road—the cities of its neighboring regions are also subject for this comparative study.

Research Organization

Project Leader
Kosuke Matsubara Study of urban plannning; Faculty of Engineering, Information and Systems, University of Tsukuba
Co-investigator
Yoko Taniguchi Cultural heritage; Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba
Shuhei Kimura Cultural Anthropology; Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba
Eisuke Tanaka Cultural heritage; Faculty of Humanities, Hokkaido University
Mamoru Taniguchi Urban transformation; Faculty of Engineering, Information and Systems, University of Tsukuba
Kazuya Yamauchi Cultural heritage; Research Institute of Cultual Propertise,Teikyo University
Satoshi Kawamoto  Turkish urban architecture; World Language and Society Education Centre, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
Akifumi Shioya Central Asian cities; Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba
Yuko Sugimoto Urban history of Aleppo; Research Institiute for Letters, Arts and Sciences, Waseda University
Akiko Tanaka Urban plannning of Damascus; The Tokyo Institute for Municipal Research
Naoto Nakajima Comparative studies of Asian cities; Department of Urban Engineering, University of Tokyo
Shigeo Nakano History of urban plannning; Faculty of Human Life Science, Osaka Metropolitan University
Yu Hiroi Urban disaster mitigation; Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo
Yasuhito Fujita  Anatiolian area studies; School of Environment and Society, Tokyo Institute of Technology
Masashi Morita  Turkish and Egyptian cities; Faculty of Urban Innovation Department of Urban Innovation, Yokohama National University
Ako Muto International collaborative studies; JICA Ogata Research Institute
Shin Yasuda Tourism studies; Takasaki City University of Economics
Kiwamu Yanagisawa  South Asian cities; Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University
Shoko Watanabe  North African area studies; Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, University of Tokyo
Norihisa Shima International collaborative studies; Toyo University
Masaki Fujikawa History of urban architecture; University of Tsukuba
Naomi Shimpo Landscape study; University of Hyogo
Allam Alkazei Urban planning; University of Tsukuba
Tetsuya Mitamura Architectural History; University of Hyogo
Kousuke Sakura Urbam planning; Shinshu University
Chiemi Iba Architectural environment; Kyoto University
Akimitsu Ikeda Social Anthropology; Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
Kaoru Murakami Turkish area studies; Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization
Saki Yamamoto North African area studies; Ochanomizu University

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