Seyedeh Hournaz Vahabi - Lecturer of university of Guilan Rasht- Iran
Mojgan Khakpour - Assistant professor of University of Guilan Rasht- Iran
Mahboubeh Shabani Jafroudi - Lecturer of Ahrar Institute of Technology and Higher Education Rasht- Iran

Safety and security are considered as the most primitive requirements to approach agreeable standards to achieve human convenience in urban life. It deeply influenced the advent of incipient civilisations in the world and guaranteed the endurance of ancient powerful empires, i.e. Persian Empire. It can be claimed that the ravage-defence concept set the history of Persian cities’ establishments in the past. Dwelling in unsecured environment compelled Iranians to make sagacious urban policies to diminish the effects of belligerent measures. Considering the time interval between Achaemenian Empire and Islamic period in Iran, the role of passive defence notations in forming Persian cities has been investigated in this research. The results have indicated that in addition to providing safety and security of citizenry, pursuing passive defence principles, including physical separation and dispersion, locating, camouflage, deception and early warning, led to determine the shape of ancient cities of Iran

Iranian ancient cities, safety, passive defense