Architectural Engineering Department, Faculty of Technical and Engineering, Yasouj University, Yasouj, Iran.
Abstract: (1558 Views)
The sense of spiritual place, as a qualitative dimension in the perception of religious environments, plays a crucial role in shaping users’ lived experiences and their interactions with such spaces. This concept is closely associated with constructs such as sense of place, identity, and spatial experience, and has the potential to enhance the quality of spiritual perception in religious settings. Despite its significance, however, the mechanisms through which physical and sensory factors contribute to the formation of the sense of spiritual place (particularly in Iranian religious environments) have not been systematically and empirically examined. Accordingly, the main research question of this study is to what extent physical and sensory components influence the formation of the sense of spiritual place in the shrine of Hazrat Abdolazim (PBUH), and how other contextual factors can be explained within this process. The aim of this study is to analyze and explain the impact of physical and sensory factors on the formation of the sense of spiritual place in the shrine of Hazrat Abdolazim (PBUH), while also examining the role of socio-individual and functional factors as complementary influencing variables. In terms of purpose, this research is applied, and in terms of methodology, it adopts a survey-based exploratory approach. The required data were collected using a questionnaire based on a five-point Likert scale. The statistical population consisted of experts in Islamic architecture and environmental psychology, from which 140 participants were selected through purposive sampling. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS and SmartPLS software, and the relationships among variables were examined through structural equation modeling (SEM) and path analysis. The findings indicate that physical and sensory components have a positive and significant effect on strengthening the sense of spiritual place and are identified as the most influential factors in shaping this perception within the studied environment. Furthermore, the results reveal that socio-individual and functional factors act as complementary variables, reinforcing this relationship and increasing the magnitude of these effects. Overall, it can be concluded that simultaneous attention to physical, sensory, and social dimensions in the design and organization of religious spaces plays a decisive role in enhancing the quality of users’ spiritual perception, while also fostering a stronger sense of belonging, presence, and deeper spiritual experience in such environments.
Keywords: Sensory and physical components, spiritual sense, religious sites, Shrine of Hazrat Abdol-Azim al-Hasani (PBUH)
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Subject- oriented researches in Islamic architecture and urbanism, eg. Spatial-geometrical ideas, symbols and ornaments
Received: 2025/09/22 | Accepted: 2026/03/8
Received: 2025/09/22 | Accepted: 2026/03/8
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