The reasons behind the urban form of traditional ‘Islamic cities’ are still disputable themes among authors. As a step forward, the city should be observed by taking into consideration the indigenous structures and concepts. This article, after reviewing the earlier ideas and efforts in this regard, suggests that the city is the result of interaction of various Niams and the major reason underlying the urban morphology is the simultaneous presence of these Niams and the fact that their hierarchy of importance was flat and horizontal. It defines the Nizams as interlinked frameworks including various dimensions which make the syntax of the city’s order.
Falahat, Somaiyeh. "Nizams: the Hidden Syntax under the Surface. Urban Morphology in Traditional Islamic Cities," in ArchNet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research, vol. 6, issue 1 (2012).
