International Journal of Emerging Engineering Research and Technology Volume 6, Issue 1, 2018, PP 1-6 ISSN 2349-4395 (Print) & ISSN 2349-4409 (Online) International Journal of Emerging Engineering Research and Technology V6 ● I1 ● 2018 1 Protection of Identity of Historical Cities Aimed at Revitalization of Old Textures, Case Study: Historical City of Gaz - Borkhar, Isfahan, Iran Elham Zadbagher-Seighalani 1 , Mohammad Hasan Rafi 1 , Ahmad Reza Akbari 1 , Maryam Yousefian 2 , Saeid Yaghoubzadeh 3 , Saeid Eslamian 4 , Kaveh Ostad-Ali-Askari 5* , Vijay P. Singh 6 , Nicolas R. Dalezios 7 1 Municipality of Gaz-Borkhar, Goz Borkhar, Isfahan, Iran 2 Department of Urban Engineering, Sheikh-Behaei University, Isfahan, Iran 3 Department of Natural Resources, Goz Borkhar, Isfahan, Iran 4 Department of Water Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran. 5* Department of Civil Engineering, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran. 6 Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering & Zachry Department of Civil Engineering, Texas A and M University, 321 Scoates Hall, 2117 TAMU, College Station, Texas 77843-2117, U.S.A. 7 Laboratory of Hydrology, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece & Department of Natural Resources Development and Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece. *Corresponding Author: Dr. Kaveh Ostad-Ali-Askari, Department of Civil Engineering, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran. Emails: Koa.askari@khuisf.ac.ir , Kaveh.oaa2000@gmail.com INTRODUCTION As for those city which have undergone civilization but no employment of urbanization has occurred in there, civilization-related problems increase the need for optimization alternatives in order to serve habitants. However, the problem of old texture adversely affects the lifestyle of habitants. The main reason for polarization within cities is the existence of old textures which can be a great threat for lives of habitants due to economic, social and physical problems. Despite the given problems, in the majority of cases, these old textures are representatives of history and civilization of a given nation. Accordingly, ignorance of these old textures may be an equivalence for ignorance of city identity. Gaz-E Bokhowar has a history of thousands of years which includes multiple old buildings within itself as the core of its identity. Actually, these old buildings are manifestations of historical identity of that city. However, problems the city face really needs to be managed and resolved. The main point is to find useful ways of organization, optimization and revitalization of old textures in order to improve the life quality of habitants and to increase their satisfaction to the appearance of the city in ABSTRACT Protection, optimization and revitalization of old textures in historical cities which are the main cores of those cities are inevitable. These old textures have undergone corrosion due to inappropriate maintenance and ignorance. There are ruptures in these textures. The current study is aimed to investigate potentials and factors affecting identity of historical city of Gaz-E Borkhar-Isfahan which have undergone corrosion due to ignorance. Some recommendations are proposed here to revitalize these textures. This study is of descriptive- analytical type which has been conducted in a way that data have been collected based on desk study and then data analysis has been performed. Results have shown that the old textures of the mentioned city are the primary component of the identity of Gaz-E Bokhowar. Consequently, these textures are demanding for special attention. Additionally, to resolve the mentioned problems, some alternatives have been proposed in order to promote environmental qualities, to increase spatial attractions, to maintain historical identity of the city and to provide better services for habitants. Keywords: City identity, old texture, organization, Gaz-E Bokhowar