Eṣfahān

Eṣfahān, Iran: Masjed-e Emām (“Imam Mosque”)

Eṣfahān, Iran

Eṣfahān, Iran

Eṣfahān, also spelled Isfahan, capital of Eṣfahān province and major city of western Iran. Eṣfahān is situated on the north bank of the Zāyandeh River at an elevation of about 5,200 feet (1,600 metres), roughly 210 miles (340 km) south of the capital city of Tehrān. Eṣfahān first thrived under the Seljuq Turks (11th–12th century) and then under the Persian Ṣafavid dynasty (16th–18th century). In addition to being an important regional and provincial capital (of Eṣfahān province), the city is one of the most important architectural centres in the Islamic world. In 1979 Eṣfahān’s Maydān-e Emām (Persian: “Imam’s Square”; formerly Maydān-e Shāh, “Royal Square”) was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. Pop. (2016) 1,961,260.