Naraq

Markazi · IRAN DIGITAL WALL

Naraq rewards attention to the spaces between buildings as much as to their facades. Narrow lanes, mud-brick houses and a covered bazaar form a compact historic town in Markazi. In its Qajar domestic architecture, inward-looking courtyards show how homes were arranged for a dry climate. The appeal lies in following these changes of enclosure: street, shaded market and residential courtyard each have a different relationship with the outside. This is a stop for understanding the everyday shape of a historic settlement, rather than looking for a single monumental centrepiece.