The purpose of this paper is to explore and interpret qualities and metaphors of space in the architecture of the Persian desert cities. The emptiness, the silence, the heat, the soil, the absence of water, the enigmatic play of light and shadows?the architecture?sanctify the desert city as one gets immersed in it, allowing for spiritual and poetic experience. The paper discusses qualities of time and space imbued in the architecture of the eighteenth-century city of Kashan, the architecture that is perceived as a unified entity rather than specific shapes of particular buildings. Entering, exploring and departing the city allow for a unique way of participation in the architectural space. Discovering and experiencing the city can only happen on foot through the chiseled network of narrow alleys?the inside and outside passageways?which are the characteristic features of this desert architecture, embodying multitude of metaphorical attributes. The architecture is not defined by imposed forms, but by the significance of silence and emptiness that create moments for the observer to perceive the space through contemplation and meditation. The space stimulates observer’s imagination and interpretation; it challenges senses, demanding alert presence. The space of architecture, the maze of passages, their transient character and timelessness narrate a non-linear story, creating continuity in the space constantly offering possibilities for a renewed experience in the space. The analysis of the qualities of space in the desert city of Kashan, leads to elucidation of the characteristic bonds between the architectural space and the observer, leading to redefining the role of the observer in the architectural space. The character and narrative of the space in the Persian desert cities have the potential to broaden our understanding and perception of time and space within the architectural discourse. The unmatched way of capturing silence and emptiness, the successive thresholds and the transient conditions of the space in the architecture of the desert cities, intensify the relationship between the observer and architectural space. The investigation of these qualities provides an insight to the space of architecture within the contemporary context.