Comparison of Mass and Space Patterns in Old and New Mosques of the Hot and Dry Climate of Iran (Case Study: Mosques in Kashan City)

Mosques have historically been the most important centers for the presence and gathering of the Muslims, and religious, social, economic and political programs have been planned and implemented in these centers.These roles have been played by mosques such as the Prophet's Mosque in Medina since the beginning of Islam, and in modern times, although some of the mosque's roles have been entrusted to other institutions, mosques are still considered the focal point for Islamic communities.Mosque, as the most important religious institution and one of the most prominent public buildings in the cities of Islamic societies, had important roles.However, some of these roles have been diminished.It seems that the changes in the patterns of architecture of mosques have been one of the factors influencing this issue.The relationship between the mass and space of the mosque, as a part of the architectural pattern, has a great impact on spatial quality.So a proper pattern of mass and space improves the quality of the place.Hence, this study tries to identify and analyze the mass and space pattern in mosques of Kashan and compare this system in old and new mosques.The research method in this study is descriptive-analytical, and library methods have been used for data collection.In fact, first, with library studies, the concepts of mosque, mass and space were explained, then according to the aerial image and map of Kashan, the structure of mass and space in the old and new mosques of the city have been identified and then the collected information has been analyzed through descriptive statistics methods.