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Journal of Sistan and Baluchistan Studies

Journal of Sistan and Baluchistan Studies

Media Transformation: The Impact of Needlework Motifs on Contemporary Architecture in the Cities of Khash and Nikshahr, Sistan and Baluchestan Province

Document Type : Original Research Article

Authors
1 Assistant Professor, Faculty of Art and Architecture,University of Sistan and bluchestan. Zahedan. Iran.
2 University of Sistan and bluchestan, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Assistant Professor
3 , Assistant Professor, Faculty of Art and Architecture, ,University of Sistan and bluchestan. Zahedan. Iran
4 , department of Art, faculty of Art, Hazrat-e Ma’soumeh University, Qom
10.22034/jsbs.2026.516953.1083
Abstract
With the expansion of urbanization in Sistan and Baluchestan province, particularly in the cities of Nikshahr and Khash, the exterior facade of buildings has gained increasing importance as part of the visual identity of the city. In recent years, motifs reminiscent of Balochi needlework art patterns have been observed on the exterior of some buildings. This research aims to investigate the connection between these motifs and contemporary architecture, exploring the process of transferring and reinterpreting needlework motifs into the realm of architecture and the semantic and functional transformations of these motifs in their new context. This study employs a descriptive-analytical and comparative approach. Data analysis is based on an ethnographic approach and Gérard Genette's theory of transtextuality, which highlights the importance of this method in understanding the influence and impact of texts on each other. These approaches are considered suitable for this research as they enable in-depth analysis and comparison of texts within different cultural and historical contexts, as well as demonstrating the relationships of influence and impact between them. The results indicate that the needlework motifs have undergone media metamorphosis in their transfer to a new medium (architectural facade), such that they have not only bestowed a cultural identity upon the buildings but have also transformed into a stylistic and recurring pattern in the urban landscape. These changes, on the one hand, demonstrate the influence of the architectural context on form and function, and on the other hand, reveal the redefinition of the relationship between the original text (needlework) and its representation (architectural facade). Furthermore, the repetition of this pattern in different cities of the province signifies the semantic continuation and proliferation of these motifs in the contemporary urban space of Baluchestan.
Keywords


Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 04 July 2026

  • Receive Date 14 April 2025
  • Revise Date 16 May 2025
  • Accept Date 04 July 2026
  • Publish Date 04 July 2026