Abstract
Meymand is a village in Meymand Rural District, in the Central District of Shahr-e Bābak County, Kerman Province, Iran. It is believed to date back to 12000 years ago. The villagers have a semi- nomadic lifestyle, moving between three types of settlement: caves, Sar-e-Āghol, Sar-e-Bāgh. Each of these three is used for a specific period of the year depending on the weather, but the main part of the village is where the caves are, hand-carved into the soft rocks of the mountain-like setting of the village's main area. This village is one the most extraordinary cases of vernacular architecture in Iran and on July 4th, 2015, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list.
People make architecture upon their needs and desires, those needs and desires are what brings different types of architecture into existence and not vice versa; that may seem a quite obvious statement, but when it comes to studying architecture it has been neglected frequently, we tend to start with architecture and not the people. In order to study architecture, to understand its true complex nature in relation with people __the strongest force making architecture at the first place and the primary user of it__ one method is to put people __instead of architecture itself__ at the center of attention. Studying vernacular architecture, such point of view seems even more evident and even necessary, since such architecture is deeply rooted in the very core of people's minds for very long periods of time. On the other hand, looking into interdisciplinary methods gives the study of architecture proper means to truly work with this people-oriented point of view. In this study, our key element is the narrative and narrative inquiry. Narrative of a woman called Salma, living in Meymand. Salma lives in one of the caves, providing visitors to the village with different services, she cooks, has beds to offer, and has different kinds of small crafts to sell; but it is she herself and the whole package she represents that makes her special. Her cave has one of the best locations in the village, sitting there along with her for a cup of tea, one feels like sitting in a cozy watchtower having all the village underneath their feet. This gives her a huge amount of benefits: she watches everything, she knows everything.
In this study, we try to know Meymand through the narrative of Salma. This narrative is provided by field works in the village, staying there in different seasons, in-depth interviews with Salma and other villagers regarding Salma. This study has three parts: a brief introduction to the village and its architecture, a narrative of Salma, and the analysis of the method used regarding the outcome of the study which is mainly Salma’s narrative. Going along with this narrative of her one comes to know the architecture of the village as it is lived today.