Esfahan - Beauty for the chosen ones

At the height of its power and importance, during the Safavid dynasty (16th century), the huge, flourishing city stunned Westerners, and it was said of the city that to see Esfahan is to see half of all the world's sights worth seeing. One of the most important public works of Sheikh Abbas of the aforementioned dynasty was the construction of the Naksh-e Jahan square, also known as the model of the world, as one of the largest squares in the world is a string of jewels in the form of buildings intended for worship and aristocratic pleasure. The Ali Kapu Palace stands at the entrance to the Safavid palaces, and was primarily intended for the entertainment of noble visitors and foreign ambassadors. The terrace of the palace offers one of the most beautiful views of the square and the view towards the Imam's Mosque, which closes the southern part of the square. The mosque's extraordinary entrance portal with two 42-meter-high minarets is only a preview of the interior, which is covered with 472,500 tiles, in a dominant blue color.

The Sheikh Lofollah Mosque, built in the seventeenth century, stands on the eastern side of the square, and its biggest attraction is the image of a peacock on top of the inner dome, which measures 12 meters in diameter. Visitors standing at the entrance to the inner hall can observe a wonderful play of light, as the sun's rays trace the peacock's tail on the wall of the dome. Of course, the life of the city of 1.5 million takes place not only on the main square and its surroundings, but one of the most important meeting places is actually the banks of the Zajandeh river, over which many bridges span. Pol-e Shahrestan is Esfahan's oldest bridge, as most of its 11 arches probably date from the 12th century.

Both locals and visitors to the city usually choose a teahouse between the arches of the Si-o-She Pol bridge or the 33-arch bridge, which is an extension of the city's main street Čahar Bag, for the most beautiful corner where they enjoy strong tea. Although it does not have such great historical value, as it was built "only" at the beginning of the 17th century, today it is one of the city's attractions. In its history, Esfahan was not only an Islamic cultural center, but Christian and Jewish communities also flourished there. Today, only the Armenians remain, with their richly decorated 17th-century Vank Cathedral, which stands in the Armenian quarter of Dzholfa.

Fun even without discos
In one of the tourist guides, when mentioning the nightlife in Esfahan, it only says "dream on". Since alcohol is strictly prohibited in the Islamic Republic and discos do not exist, a wild night party is impossible to imagine, but the action in Imam Square is lively until late at night and soft drinks, always a colorful international company and possibly a water tap, which in Iran is called kalyan, in a bar with the best view of the square, guarantees an interesting and fun evening. The entrance to the tea house is on the left side of the entrance to the Grand Bazaar, but we can just look up and it will be clear in an instant which direction we need to take to join the action on the terrace of the building. Esfahan is also famous for its cuisine. Soup lovers swear by lentil soup, and the main dish is usually a kebab with excellent rice and salad seasoned with lemon and a few drops of oil. Meatballs and dolmas will also be on the plates of better restaurants, and eggplant dishes are especially delicious. One of the restaurants that knows how to create an atmosphere, as its visitors eat on the typical divans, raised seats where they are served food, has a rather boring name, but that should not deter us from visiting. The Traditional Banquet Hall is in one of the buildings surrounding the central square of Naksh-e Jahan, but we will first find it by asking for it while shopping under the arcades next to the Sheikh Lofollah Mosque.

An oasis in the middle of the city bustle
Since Esfahan is Iran's biggest tourist attraction, there are as many as three hotels in it, which are mostly aimed at Iranian tourists or backpackers. There are few hotels of higher categories, but it is worth mentioning Hotel Abbasi, whose 230 rooms are spread out in a building from the beginning of the 18th century around a beautiful inner courtyard reminiscent of Persian gardens. In addition to the outdoor pool, you can rest and relax in the hotel's sauna, traditional tea room, or try specialties in one of the four restaurants. The beautiful hotel can boast of almost all the overnight stays of the presidents of the countries and crowned heads who visited Esfahan.

Plenty of patterns and colors
On the north side of the Naksh-e Jahan Square stands another important entrance, but this time not to a mosque or a palace, but to the nearly seven kilometer long labyrinth of alleys that make up the Grand Bazaar. Lovers of shopping and haggling, and especially everyone who knows the quality of the famous Persian carpets, will certainly not be indifferent among the lively stalls. Namely, Esfahan is one of the traditional centers of Persian carpet weaving, which flourished as early as the 16th century, but died out later in history and was revived again in the 1920s. A typical Esfahan pattern can be recognized by an ivory background with motifs in blue, pink or indigo. Carpets usually have a very symmetrical and balanced design, most often it is a single medallion surrounded by patterns of excellent quality and color scale. In addition to the carpets, in the bazaar and under the arcades that surround the second largest square in the world (only Tiananmen Square in Beijing is bigger), we will notice a huge amount of decorative copper vessels, painted by masters of calligraphy and arabesque in beautiful blue or green shades and decorated with rich patterns. Esfahan ceramics, especially hand-painted ceramic tiles, are just as extraordinary as tableware. Miniatures, often drawn on camel bones, gold and silver jewelry, spices and perfumes, heavenly good dates and pistachios are just some of the Iranian products that will surely add weight to our suitcases from the reputation of the city, which is affected by the foolish policies of the country's leadership and strong Western influence. anti-propaganda has done a lot of damage, but on the other hand, it reveals its beauty only to the bravest.