Problem Statement: The perpetuation of gender-based discrimination and the marginalization of women’s roles in Afghan society has deeply deteriorated the social structure of urban spaces. In Herat, due to its unique socio-cultural and human geography, this issue becomes more acute, where women\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s presence in urban spaces is often accompanied by fear and disorientation. Objective: Focusing on Takht-e-Safar Park in Herat, this study investigates how spatial and non-spatial factors influence women’s presence and use of gender-discriminatory urban spaces. The research aims to provide a deeper understanding of women’s experiences, preferences, limitations, and individual strategies in navigating public spaces. Methodology: The study explores the lived realities affecting this issue by documenting and analyzing the spatial behaviors of women in Takht-e-Safar Park through visual data. These images were evaluated through expert analysis, drawing on the perspectives of 10 urban specialists and sociologists from Herat. Their interpretations were subjected to content analysis. To validate these findings, responses from 40 female students in urban planning and related disciplines at Herat University were gathered through structured questionnaires and semantic differential tests. Conclusion: Findings reveal that Afghan women’s presence and use of Takht-e-Safar Park result from the interplay of spatial and non-spatial agents, each of which is explored through various dimensions. These agents—rooted in politics, ethnicity, religion, and cultural norms—significantly shape women’s spatial behaviors and lead to distinct preferences regarding ideal public spaces. While some questionnaire results affirm earlier expert-based insights, others reflect a stronger influence of cultural-religious biases on the women\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s spatial choices.

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