The Analysis of the City and Village Relations and Models in Islamic Countries

The spread of Islam across the cities of Iran led to profound changes in the social, economic, and political system of the countries and villages of Iran. This also led to the blossoming of commercial ties inside and outside the country. Urban industries expanded in cities and substantial changes occurred in villages as a result. Being focused on the role and function of cities and villages of every region, these urban-rural currents made changes and influences with concentration on all spatial dimensions of the settlements. These changes and ties may bring about developmental or non-developmental consequences for each urban and rural space (villages). This research tries to study and analyse the reciprocal relations of the surrounding cities and villages of Khorasan Razavi- Central Mashhad district with its surrounding villages by descriptive-analytic method. The way of gathering information for this paper is documentary (library) and field method including questionnaire, observation, interview the villagers and the likes. Results indicate that Mashhad is one of the major centres into which migrants move. This area is distinguished in the region and has a relative priority because of accumulation of wealth, manpower, facilities, and the holy Shrine of Emam Reza (peace is upon him) in this area. The area has a reciprocal communication with its surrounding rural areas. Mashhad has a more dominant position compared to its rural areas. The dominant pattern in this area is the central place pattern and the sphere of influence pattern. Of course, it performs these two functions in recreational-leisure and leisure-resort aspects. As a result, creation and expansion of these functions in rural areas within the past decades have been a spontaneous move with no planned measure on the whole. For this reason it left unfavourable effects and consequences in various fields. Therefore, it is necessary to control and direct these changes toward the integration of city and village based on Islamic documentations in this area.

Islam, Urban-Rural Patterns, City, Village, Mashhad.