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

Links to other reserch groups

• X00
• A01
• A02
• B01
• C01