Contemporaneity Perspective On The Neuropsychological Paradigm In Safavid Architecture Of Naqsh-e Jahan Square In Isfahan

Despite the historical significance of Isfahan’s Naqsh-e Jahan Square, the mechanisms through which the geometric codes of Safavid architecture are translated into enduring neural stimuli, and the reasons for the continuity of its lived experience of contemporaneity, remain neurophysiologically unexplored. This study aims to address this scholarly lacuna by analyzing the nexus between the square's physical components and the observer's neural processing to formulate a pattern for generating a sustainable sense of place within the contemporary spatiality paradigm. The research adopts a qualitative methodology, employing an interpretive-historical method and a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews with 15 elite experts in architecture, cognitive neuroscience, and environmental psychology, selected via snowball sampling until theoretical saturation was reached. The analysis process, integrating Colaizzi’s method with systematic coding strategies (open, axial, and selective), led to the conceptualization of the core category: the "Neuropsychological Convergence Paradigm in Safavid Architecture." Research validity and quality were ensured using Lincoln and Guba’s evaluative criteria. The findings indicate that the research’s analytical model rests on three perceptual, cognitive, and emotional domains. At the perceptual level, through embodied phenomenology, the architecture transforms perception from a passive encounter into active bodily engagement and integration. At the cognitive level, the square’s coherent and fractal geometry reduces the processing load on the prefrontal cortex, providing a platform for attention restoration and cognitive security. Furthermore, at the emotional level, symmetry and golden proportions activate the brain's reward circuits, linking aesthetic pleasure to identity-based belonging and authentic dwelling. In conclusion, the contemporaneity of Naqsh-e Jahan Square is the product of a bio-neural adaptation between its geometry and the human brain. Through a neuro-restorative performance, it mitigates cognitive load amidst urban chaos and, by responding to evolutionary needs, guarantees perceptual sustainability and the enduring legacy of Safavid architecture.