Thanks Afs

Naghshe Jahan Square


Southern View


This square is from the period of Shah Abbas The Great (I), around 400 years old. Its length is 500m. (1640.4ft) from North to South, and has a width of approximately 165m (541.3ft), making it roughly over 20 acres, surrounded by two story Arcades and historical buildings. To the North of the square, you'll find the Qaysarieh Portal. To the South there is Shah/Emam Mosque. On East side you'll find Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, and located to the West is Ali Qapoo Edifice, the palace and the gateway to the other royal establishments of that era. During the reign of Shah Abbas I and his successors, this square was an area where festivities, polo, dramatics and military parades took place. This square is listed by UNESCO's World Heritage center as "Meidan Emam".


South-East view



Northern View



"Naghshe Jahan" or "Illustration of the World" is the name given to this square, because in architectural details and mural paintings of its buildings, there are hints of other cultures. It also rhymes with the folklore saying of "Esfahan, Nesfe Jahan", meaning "Esfahan is half the world."





Eastern view from Ali Qapoo's Terrace



Shah Mosque



Sheik Lotfollah Mosque



Ali Qapoo Palace



Detail of Two Story Arcades



A Handcraft Shop


Stay tuned for a detailed look into each building.

Thanks a lot. Keep them coming. Is the horse drawn carriage a familiar sight there?

Great pics Afs, If possible, can you also post some pics of a typical street with houses or office buildings, just to have an idea how iran is? Not the famous tourist places, but just an average street maybe.

Klydon, actually this is the only place I get to see them. I remember when I was younger we were driving all the way around this square in our car, even over the old bridges. Luckily, right now they've closed down the central and southern side of the square to cars to preserve its historical feeling, and you can enjoy a carriage ride around this part if you'd like. The small part in North of the square is open to cars via a East-West street going through the square. You can see that street in the Northern view, also even better and clearer in the first picture. This square is in the heart of the downtown and is surrounded by streets jammed with traffic. Some days, you can't have a clear view of other side of the square because of smog.


svsg, I've not many pictures handy, I'll keep that in mind the next time I go photo shooting. But right now, here is a picture of a street that goes in between Chehelsotoon Palace and Naghshe Jahan Square. Keep in mind, the photo has been taken on 2pm of a weekend, where there's almost no heavy traffic. You can also check out Tehran24 for more photos of the kind you are looking for of many Iranian cities.

Not sure how I missed your comment, I'm sorry Lav! Thanks dear, I can't wait to travel to your country as well. One of these days...

Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque


Eastern View by Pool at Sunset


Esfahan is also famous as "The City of Blue Tiles", but this mosque has broken the mold. Tiles of its khaki dome is one of a kind, making her to stand out among all other monuments. This mosque has been built in early 1600 by the order of Shah Abbas (I), and has been named after a religious figure form today's Lebanon, who has been a guest in Shah Abbas's court at that time. This mosque has been build mainly for women who wanted to have a separate place for worship, especially the women of the royal family.

The inner diameter of the dome is almost over 39 feet, laid over walls with the thickness of over 5½ feet. The architecture of this mosque, with its complicated and dazzling windows is based on playing with sun light, in order to raise the spiritual feelings in every visitor.


Main Entrance



Detail of the Main Entrance



Left side of the Main Entrance



Hallway



Hallway Ceiling



Entrance- Wooden Door



Front (Inside)



Inside of the Dome



Ceiling Detail



On the left (Inside)



On the Right (Inside)



Upper Right Side



Detail of a Window



One of the Four Corners



Above the Entrance (Back Opening)



Detail of the Back Opening



Dome and Front Upper Windows

What is the material used in those blue walls?

Those are tiles.

I can't believe I missed this thread. Those pics are fantastic.

These photos are dazzling, the best yet. The art work is very beautiful.

Thanks Capo!

Thanks Klydon, I think that's because this is the most magnificent monument in this square. Granted that it's much smaller compared to Shah's mosque, but more heart has gone into her tile works.

Me too Greats pics,make me feel ashamed of where im from when i see pictures like this..

This thread inspired me to take pictures of some of the sights where I live and post them, but I think you all know what the Olive Garden and JC Penney's look like.

Wow Afs, these are AMAZING! Especially these latest ones from the mosque. It's unbelievable. All of them are amazing. Thanks for posting them! And thanks for posting a picture of a normal street too. It looks like a beautiful city.

By the way, on this topic-- Today, I saw a car with an engraved steel license plate frame, on the bottom it said ESFAHAN, and on the top it said "4BAAGH 33POL". I thought of you when I saw it, of course. What do those other numbers and letters mean? Are they something in particular, or must it be significant only to the person whose car it was?

Thanks guys!

DeNiro, why being ashamed of where you are? And Klydon, Pennsylvania is like one of the oldest states in the US. I'm sure everyone can share some pictures of their favorite landmarks that could be new and interesting to many of us here.



That's interesting! Well 4BAAGH or Chahar-Baagh, meaning Four Gardens, is the name of the old (not to mention with a heavy traffic) street that runs through Esfahan connecting the North to the South. The story behind the name comes from the arrangement of the hedges and trees of this street. There are three huge tracks in this street, and therefore four lines of hedges and trees separating them. The middle track is saved for the pedestrians just the same as side walks on each side. As for 33POL, that stands for Sio-Se-Pol, or Thirty-Three Bridges. ZayandeRud, is the name of a river running through West to East of Esfahan, and the Southern part of the Chahar-baagh is connected to the Northern part through this old bridge. Chaharbagh and SioSePol are the iconic features of Esfahan. I'll be posting pictures of these sights as soon as I get a chance. It is freezing cold out here. It's a good thing on one hand, because the sights are less crowded and there is a better chance to take photos, but on the other hand it is so cold, you feel your blood is freezing.

Wow, that's really cool that it was so recognizable! I guess they had a lot of hometown pride with their landmarks and stuff. Most of my Persian friends are from Tehran, though. Which also has a lot of beautiful places, from the pictures I've seen. That Esfahan mosque in your latest bunch of photos was something else, though. Amazing.

Thank you so much for sharing these beautiful pictures ASF, and please post more!

Thanks everyone!

Let's take a detour from the monuments in Naghshe-Jahan, to two of the most famous and iconic features of Esfahan, which I explained in the previous post.

Here is a picture of Chahar-Bagh, built in 1596, still carrying the main traffic of North-South:




East and West band each have three lanes. The middle band and sidewalks are saved for the pedestrians. There are four rows of hedges and trees separating each band, hence the name "Chahar-bagh" or "Four Gardens".


And here are some pictures of Sio-Se-Pol (33 Pol or 33 Bridges/Arches), built in early 17th century by the order of Shah Abbas I. There are 33 Arches in the foundation, hence the name 33 Arches. On each side, in the middle of the Alcoves there is a walkway separated from the middle of the bridge. It has been over 20 years that cars are not allowed over the bridge, but I remember traveling over it in our car when I was very young.



Eastern view at sunset



Entrance



Western view



One of the sideways



Eastern views from over the bridge:





Western views from over the bridge:





Finally here are some photos of ordinary streets and boulevards in downtown Esfahan:

Might be my PC,but i can't see the latest pictures

I can't see them either. Just vertical lines.

Those last few pix take awhile to load. Be patient my children.

Nice pix, afs! Thanks for posting them.

My pleasure SC!

I'm too having problem with previewing some, it seems that my image hosting service is not so kind today. I'll check this problem tomorrow and if it still gave me a hard time, I'll upload photos somewhere else, but since SC has been able to see them, I'm guessing the problem could be temporary.

Who's my daddy?

I echo the sentiments Afs. Very lovely indeed. Do you live near any of these sites?

Great pics, as always Afs. I especially like the one of the sideway. It's like looking at a mirror through another mirror, like that shot from Citizen Kane.

Thanks for sharing, Afs!

Thanks XDC and Beth!

Nice observation XDC. This pattern happens in Shah's mosque as well, but for tile decorated sideways. I'll be posting those pictures soon.

Beth, I live roughly 4 miles away from them, but I work in downtown and when I get out of the office, I'm practically there.

Thanks Afs for posting the pics of your typical city roads. I am always fascinated to know how the roads of different countries look.

You're welcome svsg. Of course I understand the fascination to see other countries streets, but either I've been here too long, or roads and streets look too ordinary to me to photograph them.

Of course, you'd have to keep in mind that you don't see high-rise buildings in downtown Esfahan as we try to maintain a low and clear skyline near historical sights and the river. Also a UNESCO code prevents building any high-rise structure near Naghshe-Jahan square for the same reasons.

Those are beautiful, Afs! I love how the eastern view of Sio-Se-Pol reflects on the water. And I have a fascination with seeing normal roads in other countries too, so thanks for posting those as well.

Thanks Zia! I've learnt that Eastern khaki facades in front of a body of water at sunset is a quick recipe for a beautiful scenery.