Environmental hazards, particularly dust storms and strong winds in the arid and wind-prone region of Sistan, are among the major threats to the sustainability of rural settlements. Indigenous architecture in the region, with its climate-adaptive strategies, has considerable potential to enhance housing resilience; however, this traditional knowledge has received limited attention in new construction and reconstruction projects. This study aims to identify and prioritize the components of the physical resilience of indigenous housing to environmental hazards and to examine their role in the sustainable development of rural settlements in Sistan. The research is applied in nature and employs a descriptive-analytical methodology with a quantitative survey approach. The statistical population consisted of household heads in villages with more than 50 households in the Sistan region, from which 189 respondents were selected through stratified random sampling. First, 19 indicators were refined and validated using the fuzzy Delphi method with the participation of 35 experts. Subsequently, exploratory factor analysis identified five components: resistance to wind and dust, thermal comfort, material and structural durability, spatial location and organization, and adaptability to water scarcity and reparability. Regression analysis indicated that “material and structural durability” was the strongest predictor of sustainable development. Furthermore, all resilience components showed positive and significant relationships with the economic, environmental, socio-cultural, and physical dimensions of sustainable development. The findings highlight the importance of incorporating indigenous architectural knowledge into strategies for enhancing resilience and promoting the sustainability of rural settlements in Sistan.