"Ali Qapu"
The royal palace of 'Ali Qapu dominates the south eastern side of the central square in Isfahan, formerly called the Meidan-e-Shah
The royal palace of 'Ali Qapu dominates the south eastern side of the central square in Isfahan, formerly called the Meidan-e-Shah
"Ali Qapu"
Its name means "The High Gate" and its impressive entranceway was no doubt intended to symbolize the strength and authority of the Safavid monarchs who ruled the country, and, as the posters on the verandah show, this significance is retained even in present times when the square has been renamed Meidan-e-Imam.
Its name means "The High Gate" and its impressive entranceway was no doubt intended to symbolize the strength and authority of the Safavid monarchs who ruled the country, and, as the posters on the verandah show, this significance is retained even in present times when the square has been renamed Meidan-e-Imam.
"Ali Qapu"
Windows guid lights inside
Windows guid lights inside
"Ali Qapu"
The talar or verandah formed an ideal place from which to watch the games of polo which took place in the square and is richly decorated with designs painted on the external plaster at the rear and elaborate tracery in the ceiling.
The talar or verandah formed an ideal place from which to watch the games of polo which took place in the square and is richly decorated with designs painted on the external plaster at the rear and elaborate tracery in the ceiling.
Historical Bazar in Isfahan"
"Masjede-e Shah"
The Shah Mosque(Jameh Abbasi Mosque) known as Imam mosque(after the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran) is a mosque in Isfahan, Iran, standing in south side of Naghsh-i Jahan Square. Built during the Safavi period, ordered by Shah Abbas the first.
The Shah Mosque(Jameh Abbasi Mosque) known as Imam mosque(after the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran) is a mosque in Isfahan, Iran, standing in south side of Naghsh-i Jahan Square. Built during the Safavi period, ordered by Shah Abbas the first.
"Masjede-e Shah"
It is an excellent example of Islamic architecture of Iran, and regarded as one of the masterpieces of Persian Architecture.
"Masjede-e Shah"
The Shah Mosque of Esfahan is one of the everlasting masterpieces of architecture in Iran
"Masjede-e Shah"
It is registered, along with the Naghsh-i Jahan Square, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its construction began in 1611, and its splendor is mainly due to the beauty of its seven-colour mosaic tiles and calligraphic inscriptions.
"Masjede-e Shah"
The Safavids founded the Shah Mosque as a channel through which they could express themselves with their numerous architectural techniques. Thefour-iwan format, finalized by the Seljuq dynasty, and inherited by the Safavids, firmly established the courtyard facade of such mosques, with the towering gateways at every side, as more important than the actual building itself.[9] During Seljuq rule, as Islamic mysticism was on the rise and Persians were looking for a new type of architectural design that emphasized an Iranian identity, the four-iwan arrangement took form.
"Masjede-e Shah"
Inside, the acoustic properties and reflections at the central point under the dome is an amusing interest for many visitors, as the ingenuity of the architects, when creating the dome, enables the Imam to speak with a subdued voice and still be heard clearly by everyone inside the building.
"Masjede-e Shah"
The mihrab, a large marble tablet ten feet tall and three feet wide on the southwestern wall, indicated the direction of Mecca. Above it the Shah's men had placed a gold-encrusted cupboard of allow wood. It held two relics: a Quran, said to have been copied by Imam Reza, and the bloodstained robe of Imam Hussain. Although never displayed, the robe was said to have magical powers; lifted on the end of a pike in the battle field, the belief was that it could rout an enemy
"Masjede-e Shah"
The Masjed-e Shah was a huge structure, said to contain 18 million bricks and 475,000 tiles, having cost the Shah 60,000 tomans to build.[15] It employed the new haft rangi (seven-colour) style of tile mosaic. In earlier Iranian mosques the tiles had been made of faience mosaic, a slow and expensive process where tiny pieces are cut from monochrome tiles and assembled to create intricate designs.
"Masjede-e Shah"
In the haft rangi method, artisans put on all the colors at once, then fired the tile. Cheaper and quicker, the new procedure allowed a wider range of colors to be used, creating richer patterns, sweeter to the eye.
"Masjed-e Shah"
The entrance portal of the mosque displays the finest tile decoration in the building. It is entirely executed in tile mosaic in a full palette of seven colors (dark Persian blue, light Turkish blue, white, black, yellow, green and bisquit). A wide inscription band with religious texts written in white thuluth script on a dark blue ground frames the iwan. The tiles in the Masjed-e Shah are predominantly blue, except in the covered halls of the building, which were later revetted in tiles of cooler, yellowy-green shades.
"Masjed-e Shah"
View from outside
"Masjed-e Shah Dome"
As with iwans, the introduction of domes into Islamic architectural designs was done by the Persians. The oldest such building is the Grand Mosque of Zavareh, dating 1135.[13] The Persians had constructed such domes for centuries before, and some of the earliest known examples of large-scale domes in the World are found in Iran, an example being the The Maiden Castle. So, the Safavid Muslims borrowed heavily from pre-Islamic knowledge in dome-building, i.e. the use of squinches to create a transition from an octagonal structure, into a circular dome. To cover up these transition zones, the Persians built rich networks of stalactites. Thus, came also the introduction of this feature into Persian mosques
"Jameh Mosque of Isfahan"
The Jāmeh Mosque of Isfahān (Persian: مسجد جامع اصفهان – Masjid-e-Jāmeh Isfahān) is the grand, congregational mosque (Jāmeh) ofIsfahān city, within Isfahān Province, Iran. The mosque is the result of continual construction, reconstruction, additions and renovations on the site from around 771 to the end of the 20th century. The Grand Bazaar of Isfahan can be found towards the southeast wing of the mosque. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2012.
"Jameh Mosque of Isfahan"
This is one of the oldest mosques still standing in Iran, and it was built in the four-iwan architectural style, placing four gates face to face. An iwan is a vaulted open room. The qibla iwan on the southern side of the mosque was vaulted with muqarnas during the thirteen hundreds. Muqarnas are niche-like cells
"Jameh Mosque of Isfahan"
When I wanted to say goodbye to Isfahan
Isfahan (Persian: اصفهان Esfāhān [About this sound] pronunciation), historically also rendered in English as Ispahan, Sepahan or Hispahan, is the capital of Isfahan Province in Iran, located about 340 kilometres (211 miles) south of Tehran. It has a population of 1,583,609 and is Iran's third largest city after Tehran and Mashhad. The Greater Isfahan Region had a population of 3,793,101 in the 2011 Census, the second most populous metropolitan area in Iran after Tehran.[2]
The cities of Zarrinshahr, Fooladshahr and Najafabad, Se-deh, Shahin-shahr, Mobarakeh, Falavarjan and Charmahin all constitute themetropolitan city of 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 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. Even today, the city retains much of its past glory. It is famous for its Islamic architecture, with many beautiful boulevards, covered bridges, palaces, mosques, and minarets. This led to the Persian proverb "Esfahān nesf-e jahān ast" (Isfahan is half of the world).[3]
The Naghsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan is one of the largest city squares in the world and an outstanding example of Iranian and Islamic architecture. It has been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The city also has a wide variety of historic monuments and is known for the paintings and history.
