OICC Press Creative City Design 2717-4190 2026 05 26 Reinterpreting Courtyard Geometry through Qur’anic Principles: Mizan and Tadabbur in Mashhad's Transitional Houses 10.57647/ccd.2026.0902.09 EN Elaheh Esfandiani Moghadam Department of Architecture, Ma. C., Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran Mohsen Tabassi Department of Architecture, Ma. C., Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8896-811X Shabnam Teimourtash Department of Architecture, Ma. C., Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran Toktam Hanaee Department of Architecture, Ma. C., Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran Journal Article 2026 05 26 Aims: This study is grounded in a Qur’anic hermeneutic framework that interprets spatial design through the principles of Mizan (divine balance) and Tadabbur (contextual adaptation). Within this perspective, we examine the central courtyard as the socio-environmental core of traditional Iranian houses. While the central courtyard is established as the socio-environmental core of traditional Iranian houses, the quantitative link between its geometric proportions and spatial adaptability remains insufficiently explored. Methodology: To address this, we employed an integrated hermeneutic-quantitative methodology. The research involved the digital reconstruction of 20 historically significant transitional houses in Mashhad, followed by geometric and configurational analysis. Framed within a post-positivist paradigm and employing a quantitative-correlational approach. Finding: Findings from a simple linear regression analysis (N = 20) confirm a statistically significant linear relationship between these indices (R² = 0.89, p < 0.05), expressed as y = kx. The coefficient k declined from 1.70 (Qajar) to 1.28 (the Second contemporary- pahlavi period), signaling a weakening of the geometric-spatial over time. Conclusion: This quantitative shift as a manifestation of Tadabbur—a pragmatic adaptation to urbanization pressures—which nevertheless moved away from the ideal Mizan embodied in Qajar-era proportions. Therefore, this study serves as a translational framework, proposing that the historically optimal coefficient range (k≈1.2−1.7) be translated into a modern design parameter. Contemporary architects can restore environmental and psychological resilience by stabilizing this coefficient, re-centering the courtyard as the adaptive, sustainable, and soul-nourishing core of modern Mashhad homes. The research thus offers a culturally-grounded, evidence-based model for reintegrating traditional spatial wisdom into contemporary sustainable design.