Introduction: Nowadays, mental health of people has become a complex issue. So that the world health organization has proposed different solutions for health improvements. There has been an increase in mental disorders and depression in different communities and the importance of mental health has been neglected in many cases. It has been stated that social structure and culture play a fundamental role in the formation of some diseases such as depression and stress disorders. Therefore, further investigation is required for the relevance of the two important issues of mental health and culture. UNESCO defines culture “a set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of a society or a social group that in addition to art and literature, it encompasses lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs.” Architecture's role in the expression of beliefs and culture, which are the expression of human identity, are believed to be an undeniable role. Therefore, the culture of any society, is the basis of the societies' architecture, in a way that it is the reflection of the community's culture. Iran's traditional architecture is the identity of faith, divine nature of goodness and deep passion. Given the link between mysticism and art in Iranian culture, the principles of Islamic art, especially architecture, influenced by the mystical dimension of Islam. Islamic civilization is based on peace and peaceful houses. According to the Quran, home is a place of rest and peace. So the first aim of building a house is to provide a place for human comfort. In recent years, with the change of lifestyles, the concept of home and residence has been changed. Therefore, the concept of home that was responsive to the needs of the life of human beings, has been changed as a mechanical product. This study endevours to exploit the principles of appropriate home from reliable sources such as Quran and Shi'a jurisprudence and investigate these principles in Iranian-Islamic traditional houses in order to reach a suitable guideline for contemporary houses with regards to Iranian-Islamic culture for mental health improvements of people.
Literature review Mental health issue is less addressed in the researches and also there is not enough attention toward increasing mental health and stabilizing it. In most of the essays there are some sorts of solutions which are referring to a cure after happening this mental damage while, it is possible to figure out a solution for preventing this important modern issue which is preventable. Therefore, a sort of architecture which is connected to the life of people and also is a part of this life would have an undeniable effect on stabilizing the mental health. The cultural identity of the society could be considered as an important factor for the mental health of each person. Iranian-Islamic culture in contemporary houses are the most important issue in society needs mental peace and human separation from their culture leads to alienation from the original values of the community. One of the most important strategies in the design of contemporary architecture inspired by the principles of respect for the traditional homes of Iranian-Islamic culture that has defined the overall stability of international sustainability. Generally the features of Iranian culture, not only helps mental health but also helps the sustainability of architecture. According to Iranian culture, house is not just a shelter for residents, moreover, it should induce relaxation. The human sense of independence and external noise is not transmitted to the interior of the house.Traditional Islamic architecture reflects the enduring idea of archetype in the past, present and future through continuous image with timeless character wherein the act of creation on the part of some vast horizons disappear, to be together. Since sustainability has all the comprehensive features to meet the human, psychological, and environmental needs, it can be possible to achieve a sustainable approach to the design of consensus with the role of culture in all aspects of sustainability. Sustainable architecture that is combined with culture, will never be forgotten and the process that is constantly going on in people's lives will continue and will retain its durability as traditional architecture. Because culture is what remains in the mind of people and is recognized. Moreover, traditional buildings due to the Iranian cultural principles, have reached sustainability. According to contemporary sustainable architecture, using traditional design methods seems to be desirable. Because historical experience has shown that the traditional architecture of the contemporary architecture has been more successful in this regard. In addition, the presence of important cultural elements of traditional architecture in the environment, as a part of the native human memory, creates a sense of space and serenity. In addition, the traditional architecture has a close link with the body and the human mind and is a manifestation of the ontology of that period and creates an environment that corresponds to the human. The use of traditional experiences, is essential for the progress of society and the advancement of physical and mental, social and spiritual result. This can be important not only for the present, but also for the attributes needed for the sustainability in the future and has an effective role on it. In fact, the culture of a society describes the society views of the future and that is what people are willing to transfer to future generations.
Methodology: In this study in order to realize the culture and identity of Iranian-Islamic architecture in traditional houses. The study will first investigate the impact of culture on mental health and worldwide sustainability and also the impact of sustainability on mental health. Then, based on library evidences and reliable sources such as the Shi'a juridical and the Qur'an, recommendations and opinions will be extracted. And the subsequent analysis of sustainability criteria in accordance with Iranian-Islamic cultural identity, traditional houses will be applied.
Results and discussion: The results indicate that if the nature of Islamic-Iranian architecture be under the considerations by architects, it can be expected to fully meet the needs of the people by the means of design solutions. To achieve contemporary sustainable architecture, induction of Islamic-Iranian culture at the heart of modern architecture should be paid attention to for the achievement of the residents' mental health. The definition of social sustainability that is based on Iranian-Islamic cultural identity, will lead to the reflection of religion in design, in order to provide desirable housing residents with respect to physical and emotional needs. Based on the original cultural features from the Quran, in Iranian traditional architecture, it has been tried to help human beings in the shadow of psychological comfort, to reach perfection. So architecture in the first place should instill in the shadow of Islamic-Iranian culture and try to achieve sustainable housing in order to achieve a sustainable society and design. Moreover, applying the patterns of Islamic-Iranian culture, can be a great help in creating a psychological comfort for people that in addition to health, to provide social stability and a return to Iranian-Islamic identity of Iran.