Vernacular building traditions : a case study of Kandovan

![CDATA[Vernacular architecture was relatively ignored until the beginning of the 20th century until Bernard officially coined the term in 1964. Since then a number of scholars have studied this notion in relation to society, culture, traditions, function and psychology (Oliver, 1987; Rapoport, 1999; Rudofsky, 1964; Thungsakul, 2001; Turan, 1990). A number of definitions for vernacular architecture have been suggested. One of the most comprehensive definitions was by Barbero-Barrera, Gil-Crespo, and Maldonado-Ramos (2014); defining vernacular architecture as ingeniously combining environmental and natural features such as geography, geology, climate, and so on, with socio-cultural factors and characteristics of human life, to create dwellings and settlements which respond to its resident's needs and requirements (BarberoBarrera, et al., 2014). One of the rarest and unique examples of vernacular architecture are the cone shaped-dwellings that are created not by constructing, but, by excavating habitable spaces from existing natural phenomena; a good example of this is Kandovan, in Iran. The only other example of cone-shaped architecture is the Goreme Valley in Cappadocia, Turkey. Despite their unique architectural similarities, these two settlements offer a stark contrast. While the community and social life of Kandovan has survived for nearly nine centuries, that of Goreme has ceased being a community and now functions as a tourist attraction. The uniqueness of Kandovan is acknowledged by it being registered on Iran’s National Heritage List.]]