ISFAHAN

Isfahan is located on the main north-south and east-west routes crossing Iran, and was once one of the largest cities in the world. It is the jewel of ancient Persia, and one of the finest cities in the Islamic world with fantastic examples of historic architecture, many beautiful boulevards, covered bridges, palaces, mosques, minarets and a wide variety of historic monuments and known for the paintings, history and architecture never fails to enchant its visitors. This led to the Persian proverb "Esfahān nesf-e- jahān ast" (Isfahan is half of the world). Isfahan flourished from 1050 to 1722, particularly in the 16th century under the Safavid dynasty, when it became the capital of Persia for the second time in its history. Isfahan is the Florence of Orient, Persia's masterpiece, the Intrigue of Iran which describes the splendor of a city shining along its life-giving river at the heart of Iran. Today Isfahan, the third largest city in Iran, produces fine carpets, textiles, steel, and handicrafts.

Naqshe-Jahan Square in center of Isfahan is one of the largest city squares in the world and an outstanding example of Iranian and Islamic architecture. In the Safavid era, this square was a place for parades, military reviews, polo games and festivals. Around the Naqshe-Jahan Square awaits four cultural monuments such as Ali Qapu Palace, Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, Qeysarieh Bazaar and the majestic Imam Mosque. Read more 

Imam Mosque, standing in south side of Naghsh-e Jahan Square, covered inside and outside with intricate turquoise tiles which appear to change color with the light of the passing day, is regarded as one of the masterpieces of Persian Architecture and an excellent example of Islamic era architecture of Iran. Read more

Qeysarriyeh Bazaar with hundreds of shops displays the arts and handicrafts for which Isfahan is world famous and one of the oldest and largest bazaars in the Middle East, dating back to the 17th century in which we find fine silk, tribal carpets, and antiques—truly a shopper’s and photographer’s paradise.

Sheikh Lotf Allah Mosque with magnificent architecture and tile work is an architectural masterpiece of Safavid era which stands on the eastern side of Naghsh-e Jahan Square and contains some of the best mosaics from 17th century. Read more

Ali Qapu Palace meaning "High Porte" is a grand palace located on the western side of the Naqsh e Jahan Square was the first skyscraper in Iran and had been originally designed as a vast portal. This palace covers six floors and was originally built as the main palace of Shah Abbas, who used it to receive guests and foreign ambassadors. The name Ali Qapu, from Arabic "Ālī" (meaning "imperial" or "great"), and Turkic "Qāpū" (meaning "gate"), was given to this place as it was right at the entrance to the Safavid palaces which stretched from the Naqsh e Jahan Square to the Chahar Baq Boulevard. Its plaster works and paintings are considered as masterpieces of the Safavid era. Read more

Siosepol which means 33 Bridge is the longest bridge on Zayandeh River with the total length of 297.76 meters consists of two rows of 33 arches from both sides left and right. The central lane of the bridge was designed as a path for beasts of burden while the sides were raised for use as pedestrian promenades. The bridge highly ranked as being one of the most famous examples of Safavid bridge design is made of bricks and stones. There is a larger base plank at the start of the bridge where the Zayandeh River flows under it. It not only functions as a bridge but also as a dam, and is still used to hold water today.

Khaju Bridge, built by the Persian Safavid king around 1650 on the foundations of an older bridge, was originally decorated with artistic tilework and paintings. This bridge is one of the finest examples of Persian architecture at the height of Safavid cultural influence in Iran. In words of Upham Pope and Jean Chardin, Khaju Bridge is "the culminating monument of Persian bridge architecture and one of the most interesting bridges extant. Read more

Chehel Sotoun Palace with several halls and rooms decorated with marble and impressive gilds which contains many frescoes and paintings on ceramic is a pavilion in the middle of a park at the far end of a long pool. The name, meaning "Forty Columns" in Persian, was inspired by the twenty slender wooden columns supporting the entrance pavilion, which, when reflected in the waters of the fountain, are said to appear to be forty. The Chehel Sotoun Palace is among the 9 Iranian Gardens which are collectively registered as one of the Iran’s 17 registered World Heritage Sites under the name of the Persian Garden. Read more

Hasht Behesht Palace or eight paradise palace also known as the Palace of Nightingales was built in 1669 in Safavid era. The Hasht Behesht palace was built in the centre of Baghe Bolbol (The Nightingale Garden). Of more than forty mansions which existed in Isfahan during the rule of Safavids, this is the only one left today. This two-storey building with its magnificent decorations and outstanding archs is considered as one of the bright examples in Safavid era architecture. The structure has octagonal shape and this kind of shape can be seen in various part of it. The palace experienced new styles of stucco work and stained glass and mirror works. The original palace was decorated with beautiful gilded mosaics, mirror work, plaster work, and various kinds of floral paintings on plaster. Especially ceiling of the palace was ornamented with variety of plastered pendent decorations. The small but intricate building is set among tree-lined alleys, a reflecting pool and water rills. Today the palace’s garden is converted into a public park; therefore it has lost its original features and shapes.

Holy Savior Cathedral, also known as Vank Cathedral and the Church of the Saintly Sisters is an Armenian cathedral carries particular spiritual significance and will capture the attention of every Christian. Vank Cathedral built in early 17th century is one of the most striking churches of the world for its gilded ceiling and paintings with lavish interior and domed in the same manner as the Persian mosque. The walls are all covered by marvelous paintings of Persian style; however the European impression is completely visible in these paintings. Read more

Jameh mosque of Isfahan which is a gallery of Islamic architecture and a stunning illustration of the evolution of mosque architecture over twelve centuries is the grand, congregational mosque of Isfahan and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in which the progress of architecture from the outset of Islam till recent times is evident. The Grand Bazaar of Isfahan can be found towards the southwest wing of the mosque.  Jameh mosque of Isfahan is a fine expression of the height of classical Persian architecture, with original sections and subsequent additions dating from the 11th to the 15th century. Read more

Monar Jonban is a monument covering the grave of Abu Abdollah, and dates back to Safavid period. It is located in Isfahan, with a notable feature as one of the minarets is shaken, the other minaret will shake as well.  The minarets are responsible for the fame of the otherwise architecturally unremarkable shrine. Because of the ratio between the height and width of the minarets and the width of the iwan, this example of coupled oscillation can be observed from ground level. Read more

Kashan: The etymology of the city name comes from Kasian, the original inhabitants of the city, whose remains are found at Tapeh Sialk dating back 9,000 years; later this changed to Kashian, hence the town name. Between the 12th and the 14th centuries Kashan was an important centre for the production of high quality pottery and tiles. In modern Persian, the word for a tile (kashi) comes from the name of the town. Kashan has long been known as flourishing center of arts and a cradle of Iranian artists. Kashan is internationally famous for manufacturing carpets, silk, ceramics, copperware and rosewater. The cultivated, talented and dynamic people of this historic city have been particularly famous as manufacturers of excellent glazed vessels and tiles, weavers of fine brocades, velvets and silk fabrics, creators of superb carpets and rugs, and producers of various handicrafts, consistently being ranked as outstanding exponents of these arts and crafts. Kashan today houses most of Iran's mechanized carpet-weaving factories, and has an active marble and copper mining industry.

The ancient village of Abyane which is famed for its natural beauty and situated in Barzrud Rural District, in the Central District of Natanz County, Isfahan Province is the perfect answer to Iran’s bustling, traffic-clogged cities. Characterized by a peculiar reddish hue, the village is one of the oldest in Iran, attracting numerous native and foreign tourists year-round, especially during traditional feasts and ceremonies.  It owns several unequal attributions just like the unique temple of "Herpak", a Chief mosque with a unique mihrab from Seljukian period, houses harmonious with climate and mountainous land. On top of the village sits the ruins of a Sasanid era fort. The village is at least 1500 years old and faces east across a picturesque valley. It was built this way to maximize the sun it receives and minimize the effects of howling gales in winter. Abyaneh has kept its architecture, ceremonies and culture, language, clothing and etc. An Abyanaki woman typically wears a white long scarf (covering the shoulders and upper trunk) which has a colourful pattern and an under-knee skirt. Abyunaki people have persistently maintained this traditional costume. Read more

Fin Garden, a beautiful sample of Iranian historical gardens, UNESCO World Heritage Site is the oldest extant garden in Iran. This beautiful garden with its pool and orchards was designed for Shah Abbas I as a classical Persian vision of paradise.  The garden covers 2.3 hectares with a main yard surrounded by ramparts with four circular towers. In keeping with many of the Persian gardens of this era, the Fin Garden employs a great many water features. The garden contains Kashan's Fin Bath, where Amir Kabir, the Qajarid chancellor, was murdered and numerous cypress trees and combines architectural features of the Safavid, Zandiyeh and Qajar periods.

The Fire temple of Isfahan (also Romanized as Ātashgāh-e Esfahān) is a Sassanid-era archaeological complex located on a hill of the same name about eight kilometers west of city center of Isfahan, Iran. The hill, which rises about 210 meters above the surrounding plain, was previously called Maras or Marabin after a village near there. One part of the complex, on the southern flank of the hill, are the remains of a citadel of about twenty buildings (or rooms within buildings), many of which particularly those in the lower half of cluster are however only evident as foundation traces. Several buildings in the cluster have a classic char taq "four arch" floor-plan, characteristic of Zoroastrian fire-temples of the 3rd century onwards and that are the actual atashgahs that housed sacred fires. Other buildings include what may have been storage rooms and living quarters for priests and affluent pilgrims.

Mesr is a village in Jandaq.  While in Isfahan take your time to take a stroll through this charming village. Mesr is in the far east of Isfahan (province) in Central Iran. It is basically 420 km far from Isfahan city, and 371 km far from Yazd. Mesr is a desert and also an oasis located in the central desert of Iran, (known as Dashte-Kavir in Persian). Mesr is a flourishing desert area with a deep well in which tamarisk tree is cultivated. The central mountain ranges of Iran which are predominantly isolated oasis type-mountains, which run through the desert territory of Iran, are close by. The town’s only water source and therefore lifeline comes from a spring that flows out of the foothills of the aforementioned mountains quite close to the heart of the village. This is the only source of life for the gardens and date palm orchards that make this oasis such a special place. Watching sunsets and stars are very encouraged in this region.  The sand hills around the village are known as thrones since the strong wind has shaped the surface, forming strange and attractive figures. Mesr village is one of the amazing natural highlights of Persia especially for those who enjoy experiencing the rough but beautiful nature of the desert. Saffron and wheat are the main crops of the village.

Farahzad is a deserted village which contains palm forests surrounded by dunes. The tiny settlement of Farahzad is an oasis located amid sand dunes in the Dasht-e Kavir, just outside the village of Mesr.  Its residents, all members of one extended family (Tabatabaei), make a living from agriculture and by operating Barandaz Lodge.

Jandaq is a city in Khur and Biabanak County, Isfahan Province. With a desert climate, it is located on the southern edge of Dašt-e Kavir. The monuments of Jandaq include Jandaq Castle (or Fortress of Ardbil), which seems to date back to the Sasanian period, and which is known as the prison of Anuširvān. Today, despite modern renovations, the town has a traditional look and structure.

Nushabad is a city in the Central District of Aran va Bidgol County located about 5 kilometers north of Kashan. The underground city of Ouyi (Noushabad) in the northern Kashan is considered one of the masterpieces of ancient architecture. However the main reason for underground city of Noushabad was carved stemmed from the fact that in the past this region was quite insecure and by forming an underground chain of passages beneath the entire city, the inhabitants would shelter there in the time of being attacked. And also through these passages they could reach any spot of the city without being seen. The depth of this underground city varies from 4 to 18 meters and the different spaces formed by carving the rocks seem a little scary! 

Nain city in Isfahan Province lies 170 km north of Yazd and 140 km east of Esfahan with an area of almost 35,000 km². Like much of the Iranian plateau, it has a desert climate. More than 3,000 years ago the Persians learned how to construct aqueducts underground (qanat) to bring water from the mountains to the plains. In the 1960s this ancient system provided more than 70 percent of the water used in Iran and Na’in is one of the best places in the world to see these qanats functioning. Besides its magnificent monuments, Na’in is also famous for high-quality carpets and wool textiles.

The Jameh Mosque of Nain, an outstanding monument within Isfahān Province .The mosque is one of the oldest in Iran, dating back to the 9th century. The interiors however are Seljuki in brick craftsmanship, and therefore allude to the 11th century. Like the Tarikhaneh of Damghan and the Jameh Mosque of Isfahan, this mosque is "Khorasani" in its architectural style .One of the oldest mosques in Iran, its magnificent plasterwork over the niche, the marvellous brickwork around the yard, and its silent basement which may have been used as a fire temple before the mosque was built here are only a few of the remarkable features of this mosque. One of the most exquisite pieces of artwork inside the mosque is the wooden marquetry pulpit (Persian: menbar). The carpenter matched the wooden parts together like a pieces of a puzzle. The pulpit is decorated with organic geometrical designs. Read more

Garmeh is a village in Nakhlestan Rural District, in the central desert of Iran in Isfahan Province. This green oasis in desert will help us touch and understandthetrue sense of desert life.Tall palm trees, scorching sands, particular architecture of the region, the pond which has arisen from the source with a surrounding covered by these trees make this village a special and touristic place. Plus there is an ancient castle from Sassanid era in this village which has kept its glory after all these years.

Arusan is a village in Biabanak Rural District, Isfahan Province.

Bayazeh is a village in Nakhlestan Rural District, in the Central District of Khur and Biabanak County, Isfahan Province.

Semirom County in Isfahan province whose antiquity dates back to 700 B.C. is considered as a tourist hub. Semirom is subdivided into two districts: the Central District and Padena District. The county has four cities: Semirom, Komeh, Vanak, and Hana. Semirom is one of the promenades of the area where you can enjoy the beautiful waterfalls and the refreshing environment while listening to the sound of Nature.