The traditional urban quarter is considered here as a materialized form of human thoughts, skills
and resources which created functional, meaningful and identifiable spaces in relation to society, time and place.
Regarding these leading points, this research focuses on traditional Iranian-Kurdish urban quarters of Qataˆrchya
ˆn to investigate its design principles. Various approaches to traditionally built forms were reviewed to pave
the way for a methodological inquiry. The data were generated through historical archives, direct observation of
the existing built form and interviews with elderly. The findings enable us to discover the shaping design
principles which characterize the urban character of the selected quarter as a distinctive traditional urban form
especially as compared to other Islamic-Iranian cities. These findings can be recognized as indigenous rules
embedded in the structure of traditional quarters which can help designers to reconcile the traditional and
modern urban architecture by applying these principles in city conservation plans or new development plans in
the city suburb

• Investigating the process of traditional design principles formation in the Iranian-Kurdish urban quarters