Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities

The analysis of the concept of “ābādānī” in the context of Ancient Iran within the conceptual framework of “eco-oriented wisdom”

Document Type : Original Research Paper

Authors

Nina Sadat Mirmohammadi 1
Zahra Ahari 2
Niloofar Razavi 3

1 PhD in Landscape Architecture, Department of Landscape Architecture and Reconstruction, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Centre for Documentation, Architectural Studies and Restoration, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Landscape Architecture and Reconstruction, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22035/isih.2026.5530.5150
Abstract
The study of historical wisdom concerning the relationship between humans and the ecosystem is of fundamental importance for understanding sustainable modes of human settlement within the natural environment in the past. The present research introduces the features of this wisdom and explores how it can be studied within the conceptual framework of “Eco-oriented Wisdom,” drawing upon insights from the two research domains of “Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)” and “Ecological wisdom (EW).” It then turns to the concept of ābādānī (prosperity), a recurrent notion in ancient Iranian and the early Islamic texts, in order to explicate the human–environment relationship. This article seeks to demonstrate that ābādānī, within the ecological civilization of ancient Iran, constitutes a dimension of the eco- oriented wisdom framework and can be analyzed accordingly. The research method adopts an interdisciplinary approach and employs content analysis of textual sources. The findings reveal that ābādānī can be interpreted through the four features of eco- oriented wisdom—holism, careful observation, action-orientation, and value-orientation—and can be examined on three levels: worldview, interaction, and environmental knowledge, within the context of ancient Iran. Positioned at the intersection of landscape architecture, history, and ecology, this study contributes to the conceptual framing of the components of ecological civilization in ancient Iran.

Keywords

prosperity/ābādāni
ancient Iran
eco-oriented wisdom
ecosystem
landscape

Subjects

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Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities
Volume 17, Issue 4 - Serial Number 68
Ecological Civilization
Autumn 2025
Pages 61-92

  • Receive Date 28 May 2025
  • Revise Date 24 August 2025
  • Accept Date 12 September 2025

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