Esfahan
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A pair of turquoise-tiled minarets, from which faithful Muslims are called to prayer, flank the entrance to the Masjid-i-Sháh (King's Mosque) in the city of Esfahan, Iran. Building commenced in 1612, on the orders of Shah Abbas I, and the Masjid-i-Sháh remains one of the finest examples of Islamic architecture in Iran.
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A threshing machine being used to separate grain from chaff at a small farm close to Esfahan, Iran. In the near-desert conditions of central Iran, irrigation is required to grow crops and fertile land is scarce. Agricultural holdings are small and machines such as the combine harvester, which would thresh as well as cut the grain, are very uncommon.
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The Theological School of the Mother of the Shah (Maddrassah Mader-e-Shah), built in Esfahan, Iran, during the years 1706–14. Construction of this training college for theology students was financed by the mother of Shah Sultan Hossein, last king of the Safavid dynasty, and represents the last flowering of that immensely fertile period in Persian art and architecture.
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Persian engraved plate. Elaborately decorated metalwork, such as this large plate showing a man offering two women a cup of wine, is characteristic of the crafts once sold around the bazaar in Esfahan.
City in central Iran and capital of the province of the same name; population (2006) 1,602,100. The town lies on the Zayandeh Rud River at an altitude of 1,600 m/5,250 ft, in the centre of a large fertile oasis. Industries include steel, cotton, woollen and silk textiles, carpets, and traditional handicrafts. It was the ancient capital (1598–1722) of Abbas I.
History
A seat of Seljuq power in the 11th century AD, from whence the Friday Mosque dates, the city was conquered in 1387 by Tamerlane, who is said to have killed 70,000 people here in a later revolt. Esfahan became the capital of Iran under the Safavid dynasty from the time of Shah Abbas I (1587–1629), who built numerous fine buildings, some of which still survive. He also laid out spacious gardens and avenues and extended the bazaar, for which workmen were forcibly imported from Armenia. The Armenian community has its own quarter across the river. This quarter is called Julfa and contains its own cathedral dating from the 18th century. Modern suburban development has filled in some of the Abbasside gardens.FeaturesIts features include the Great Square, where polo was played, the Sheikh Lutfullah Mosque, the Hall of Forty Pillars known as Chihil Sutun, the Ali Qapu gate, the Khaju and Aliverdi Khan bridges, and the Shah Hussain madrasah, a school for dervishes built in 1710. |
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