Book "Unforgettable Iran". Chapter 6.2 Attractions of Isfahan
Isfahan - "half of the world"
Isfahan is called “Half of the World” (Nesf e Jahan), and this beautiful name the city owes much to Imam Khomeini Square. The new name did not take root, as well as the old one - before the revolution, this square was called Shah Square, and people still call it Nakhsh e Jahan (Portrait of the World or Face of the World). The main attractions are located here.
On the south side of the square is the Imam Mosque (Masjid e Emam). The interior walls of the mosque are decorated with unique drawings, mosaics and ornaments. If you go to the center of the mosque to the place marked on the floor with a black marble square and sing or clap your hands, you will be surprised by the unique acoustics, when the sound, amplified many times, is clearly heard in any part of the mosque. A random tourist, who turned out to be a mullah, sang to us a well-known tune from the Koran.
On the eastern part of the square is the Sheikh Lutfalla Mosque (Masjid e Sheikh Lotf-Ollah), the most famous mosque in Iran and the hallmark of Isfahan. Note the mihrab and lattice windows, rich decoration, intricate mosaics and calligraphy. The best time to visit is sunrise or sunset, when the room is colored by the rays of the sun and changes its color from pink to orange.
Opposite the mosque is the Ali Gapu Palace (Gate of Ali). The most interesting thing you can do there is to go up to the top floor and look around the music room, in the walls and ceilings of which there are vase-shaped recesses, and then you can go out onto the terrace and take beautiful photos of the square. Old paintings and frescoes have been restored on many walls.
In another part of the city you will find a similar palace with the beautiful name "Eight Gardens of Eden" (Hasht Behesht). Previously, it was considered the most luxurious palace, today it is mainly the architecture and carved recesses that have been preserved, like those found in the Ali Gapu Palace.
Not far from the square is the Palace of Forty Columns (Chehel Sotun). It is said that when the columns are reflected in the reservoir opposite, the illusion is created that there are forty columns. Many frescoes have been preserved in the palace. As the guide explained to us, the yellow color in the paintings is pure gold, of which several kilograms were used to decorate the interior. In one of the rooms of the palace, the Koran of the 9th century is kept. with the seal of Imam Hassan, and petrified trees lie in the garden.
Not far from the Grand Bazaar is the Community Mosque or Friday Mosque (Masjid e Jame). This mosque is the oldest in Iran, its construction was completed in the 8th century. From it you can go to the Minaret of the Ali Mosque (Manar e Masjid e Ali) and go to the mausoleum of Harun Vilayet, with Khomeini and Khamenei mosaics outside and impressive frescoes inside. In any mosque, they were allowed to rest during a hot day, so the workers slept on the floor.
The famous architectural structures of Isfahan are the bridges. Start your walk from the Thirty-three Arches Bridge (Si-o-Se Pol). In the evening, the bridge turns into a popular place among young people thanks to secluded places and corners, unobtrusive lighting, as well as a good tea house. At the time I was there, there was no river near the bridge. From there you can walk on foot to the Khaju Bridge (Pol e Khaju) and take transport to the oldest bridge in the city - the Shahrestan Bridge.
To the west of Isfahan are two interesting sights that are easily accessible by bus. Both are on the same road, but it is best to start the tour from the farthest one, which is 9 km from the city - the Temple of the Zoroastrians (Ateshkade ye Esfahan). This temple was built by the Zoroastrians in the III-VII centuries. Climbing the hill was not easy, as we had to climb up the stones, there were no roads or paths here. But from the mountain there was a panorama of the city.
Not far from the temple there are ancient dovecotes - towers, in each of which up to 14.000 pigeons were kept to collect droppings and use it as fertilizer for the fields.
Returning from the temple to the city, after two kilometers you will see the mausoleum of Abu Abdullah or, as it is also called, the Swinging Minarets (Manar Jomban). Every half hour, a specially trained person climbs the minaret on the right and begins to swing it, the left minaret begins to swing itself in unison with the right one. For you to see everything, bells hang on them.
