Role of Pilgrimage and Touring Excursion in Iranian Culture, Based on the Case Study of Shah Nematollah Vali’s Shrine

Iranian people have always had a deep bond with their surrounding nature and their cultural aspect was also affected and in relation with the natural landscape in a way that by studying the religious sites of Iran we can discover a constant companionship of natural elements along the sacred places. This kind of landscape goes beyond its religious function and the interaction between man and the environment creates a potential for social and recreational functions along with its religious aspects. The principle of purposefulness in the choosing of recreational destination for the people of Iran has led them to adapt space creation of their holy monuments to this tradition and the multi-functional role, which can be adapted from the structure and hierarchy of the entrance and courts of Shah Nematollah’s tomb, and for each of these courtyards in proportion to their creational elements, different behavioral aspect and status can be determined that is associated with the behavioral contract arising from the tradition of pilgrimage.
Due to the importance of cultural landscapes in the identity of a nation, maintaining and keeping the function of visiting graves and religious buildings not only helps the existence and transition of a historical value to the next generation, but also prevents the deterioration and collapse of behavioral contracts rooted in their history and identity. By choosing Shah Nematollah Vali’s tomb as a case study, in addition to investigating the tradition of pilgrimage-excursion among the Iranian, this paper investigates its effect on cultural landscapes and then, studies the features of the tomb and the functional role of its different parts in the tradition of pilgrimage. Furthermore, the field observations show that how the continuation of this tradition has encountered problems due to the change in social values and new laws in dealing with religious places and changing the attitude toward this behavioral station has transformed the old tradition into an anti-value.