The historic cities in Iran have gone through many ups and downs,
and development and decline, due to various internal and external factors. The study of these
factors can help find the roots of cultural and social upheavals. The Old City of Narmashir in
the southeast of Kerman is one of these Iranian historic cities. According to archaeological and
historical documents, Narmashir has expanded from the Sāsānid Empire (AD 224–651) to the
late Timurid period. However, as the archaeological materials suggest, the population of the city
significantly decreased from the Safavid dynasty onwards. Also, The Old City was abandoned
after the Afghans attack. Our question is “what environmental and ecological factors influenced
the formation, development, and destruction of the Old City of Narmashir?”
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explain the role of geographic and ecological factors in the
formation, development, and destruction of the Old City of Narmashir through the lens of Kenneth
Watt’s ecological theory.
Data were collected through documentary and field methods. The
systematic survey in this site was carried out in July 2014 and was registered in the cultural heritage
list. The research method in this paper is analytical. First, the historical documents were studied
and analyzed by the “content analysis” method. Afterwards, the data were analyzed drawing on
the five variables in Kenneth Watt’s ecological theory: “material, energy, diversity, space and
time.
According to our data analysis, “Space” had not only the most effect on the formation
and development of the Old City of Narmashir, but also on its departure and decline. “Material,
diversity, and energy” had also a major role. However, there is not much awareness and evidence
on the role of “material” and “diversity” in the abandonment of the city by its residents. Moreover,
“time” did not play any significant role in the development and destruction of the city. Such
changes in Narmashir might as well be a
