Isfahan – iTourismA

Mesr Desert

2020/01/15/1 Comment/in Isfahan, Natural Attractions /by Iran Tourism

One of the most beautiful natural manifestations in Iran tourism is its deserts. Mesr Village is located in the Isfahan province near the Khur and Biabanak County. Less than 50 kilometers from the city of Jandaq and about 30 kilometers from Khur, lies an amazing desert the beauty of which attracts many tourists from both inside and outside Iran. It is a vast, enormous area in the middle of Dasht-e Kavir. In Mesr Village, people earn money by animal husbandry, farming and renting houses to the tourists. Water of the village is prepared from the wells. We have explained about Mesr Village before and you can read the article of it by clicking on the link below. A severe drought occurred, so Joseph was forced to dig some wells. For several years, people used the water of the wells until it was finished. Again, Joseph dug some wells and since the Prophet Joseph was in Egypt, people of this village named here Mesr which is the equivalent of Egypt in Persian. Only a few percent of the Mesr Desert is covered with plants. The Vegetation coverage encompasses halophyte plants such as Tamaris trees, Haloxylon trees and bushes. The animal coverage area consists of animals such as wolf, jackal, hyena, sand fox, sand cat, lizard, chameleon, a variety of lizards, snakes, scorpions, dull-yellow partridge, eagle, hawk and others cause of lots of food and water. Mesr Village which is accessible via public transport is in a close distance from Khur. Shenzar Guesthouse, a beautiful guesthouse in the village belonging to a hospitable family, provides an opportunity for travelers to experience traditional desert houses and Iranian toothy foods. Barandaz Tabatabai Caravanserai is one of the best accommodation in traditional style in the Mesr Desert.

The camel herds and camel riding between the Mesr Village’s sand hills add to the interesting aspects of the desert. ATV motors and off-road SUVs are provided there with experienced drivers. Just say a word and then Experience a sweet and ebullient ride in your entire life. Both vehicles, reach the summit of sand hill fast and then move down the hill with extraordinary thrill. Another widely known attraction of the area is called Khur salt lake, a salty land covered with hives-like shapes formed by salt. All in all, the experience is definitely great for anyone interested in adventure travel.

Abyaneh Village

2019/12/29/0 Comments/in Architrcture , Art and Handicraft, Isfahan, Kashan /by Iran Tourism

Abyaneh, which is also known as the Red Village because of its red soil and houses, is an ancient Iranian Village located at the foot of Karkas Mountain, 70 kilometers southeast of Kashan in Isfahan province. Abyaneh is a Village of living traditions and architectural styles. Researchers and archaeologists believe that the village originated about 1500 years ago and is one of the historical places in Iran that has become famous worldwide. According to archaeologists, the old mansions of the Abyaneh village were designed and built during the rule of the Seljuk, Qajar, Sassanid, and Safavid dynasties. Karkas Mountains and its surroundings were the hunting area for Safavid kings and Abyaneh was the destination for their summer vacation. Abyaneh’s high elevation causes cool summer and very cold winter days. Because of its mountainous setting, Abyaneh stayed isolated for many years and people’s customs and language is untouched and preserved. In Abyaneh people speak Farsi with a special dialect belonging to the village only. They still use some words from the Parthian era.

The Village is compact, with narrow and sloped lanes, and houses located on the slope as if placed on a stairway. The houses bear an ancient architectural style, featured by the use of clay as the construction material and latticed windows and wooden doors. Similar to other mountainous villages of Iran, Masouleh or Uraman Takht, Abyaneh has stepped structure with the roof of each house being the courtyard of the one above it.

One of the most interesting points about Abyaneh is the culture of its local residents. Elderly people of the village still speak Middle Persian, which was originally the language of Sassanian Persia and disappeared many centuries ago. The way people dress here is also very notable.Men wear a very loose pair of pants and the women’s traditional costume consists of a long colorful dress, along with a special pair of pants, and a white long scarf with colorful floral design named Charghad. Almost all of the women in the village wear this costume, just like their ancestors. And this tradition makes Abyaneh even more special.

Besides the charismatic beauty of the village, there are historic monuments as well. There is a Zoroastrian fire temple dating back to the Sassanid period, three castles, a pilgrimage site, and two mosques. The most famous monument of Abyaneh is The Great Mosque, with an ancient Mihrab made of walnut wood covered with carvings of calligraphy and floral designs. The Great Mosque is closed and cannot be visited because of its very long and valuable history.

Chogan

2019/12/21/0 Comments/in Fars, Isfahan, Isfahan, Other, Shiraz /by Iran Tourism

Chogan has been popular among the kings and Iranian grandee in the past and its name as an aristocratic sport is derived from that. Chogan, known also as polo, is a sporting team game with horses and a version of the modern polo game. It was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2017. For the first time, Chogan was played during Achaemenians in Iran. As Achaemenians extended their borders to far and vast geographical spots, this ancient Iranian game found its way to other countries too. Chogan as one of the amusing activities between kings, rulers and wealthy people.

Kar Namag Ardashir Pabakan, is a middle Persian prose tale written in Sassanid Era. It narrates the story of Ardeshir I, the founder of this dynasty. It’s the first written document that mentions Chogan as an Iranian game. The theme of Chogan has been used widely in different areas of art and literature. For example, it’s been mentioned in the poems of Ferdowsi, Rudaki, Nezami, Sa’di, Hafez, and other great Persian poets. It has been also the theme in many valuable Persian miniatures and the designs on the potteries.

Chogan was played differently back then. Horse riding was more of a military and warfare practice. Therefore, this entertainment included horses’ military style marching and riding war horses. As the time went by, Chogan changed to the present day style. Polo firstly just had a recreational function in order to show the Iranian military horses talent. Chogan is a strategic game that requires physical readiness and skill for both riders and horses, just like a miniature battle. In the past, it was a play where the Persian riders exhibited their skills in riding, fighting, and playing as well as the fighting skills, speed, and agility of their horses. The horses of Chogan are called polo ponies. Since horse riding was a military practice in the past, Persians believed the horse that can do well in Chogan, can do well in the war too.

Today, in Chogan, ponies are full sized horses used for this traditional Iranian game. In Persian, they are referred to simply as Chogan horses. They should be equipped with safety gears to be ready for the races. They are supposed to have special leg wraps to be protected against the mallets. The line attached to the curb bit must be adjusted in a comfortable and free, so that ponies can be easily levered.

Naqshe Jahan Square

2019/12/13/1 Comment/in Architrcture , Art and Handicraft, Isfahan, Isfahan /by Iran Tourism

Naqshe Jahan is a public urban square in the center of Esfahan. It is one of the largest city squares in the world and an outstanding example of Iranian and Islamic architecture. Built by the Safavid shah Abbas I in the early 17th century, the square is bordered by two-story arcades and anchored on each side by four magnificent buildings: to the east, the Sheykh Lotfollah Mosque; to the west, the pavilion of Ali Qapu; to the north, the portico of Qeysariyeh; and to the south, the celebrated Royal Mosque. All of the architectural elements that delineate the square, including its arcades of shops, are aesthetically remarkable and adorned.

The Naqshe Jahan was at the heart of the Safavid capital’s culture, economy, religion, social power, government, and politics. Its vast sandy esplanade was used for celebrations, promenades, and public executions, for playing polo and for assembling troops. The arcades on all sides of the square housed hundreds of shops; above the portico to the large Qeysariyeh bazaar a balcony accommodated musicians giving public concerts; Ali Qapu was connected from behind to the throne room, where the shah occasionally received ambassadors. In short, the royal square of Esfahan was the preeminent monument of Persian socio-cultural life during the Safavid dynasty.

Throughout the history, the square has been used for performing all kinds of festivals, parades, and ceremonies such as; national, governmental and popular ceremonies. Also this is a square just about perfect for a game of polo. The stone goal posts still exist in north and south ends of Naqshe Jahan Square. Polo and horse riding are two of the ancient Persian sports mixed together, played not only for leisure, but also as a display of bravery of men in wars. The royal household would watch the games from the balcony of Ali Qapu Palace. Apart from this, some executions took place in Naqshe Jahan Square. For the present, Naqshe Jahan Square or Imam Square is still used for performing ceremonies and parades on special occasions. There are Traditional shops all around the square for you to explore. Also, Carriage rides are a wonderful way to experience the beauty of the Naqshe Jahan Square.

Shah Abbas II was enthusiastic about the embellishment and perfection of Ali Qapu. His chief contribution was given to the magnificent hall, constructed on the third floor. The 18 columns of the hall are covered with mirrors and its ceiling is decorated with great paintings. The Ali Qapu has multiple connotations, but generally connotes entrance or supreme gate to the complex of palaces and public buildings of the Safavid Government.

Top 10 tourist attractions of Isfahan

2019/11/25/1 Comment/in Isfahan, Isfahan, Other /by Iran Tourism

Isfahan is a city in central Iran and is the capital of Esfahan Province. The Persians call it “Nesf-e-Jahan”, meaning “Half the World”. It is considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world due to its beautiful hand-painted tiling and magnificent public square. There are top 10 popular attractions of Isfahan below.

1- Naqsh-e jahan square

Naqsh-e Jahan Square is the main tourist spot of Isfahan, one of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has a length of 512 meters and 160 meters width containing Sheykh Lotfollah and Shah Mosques, Ali Qapu Palace and Qeysariyeh Mall.

2- Siosepol Bridge

Siosepol or Allah Verdi Khan Bridge has 33 spans from which it gets its name with the longest span of 5.6 meters, crosses Zayandeh Rud River. The bridge has a length of 300 meters and 14 meters width.

3- Khaju Bridge

This bridge was built to work for different purposes. As a bridge connected the old Isfahan to villages located on the southern side and also connected Isfahan to Shiraz road. It was built as a wonderful recreational place. It is about 132 meters long and 12 meters wide.

4- Chehel Sotun

Chehel Sotoun (also Chehel Sotoon) is a pavilion in the middle of a park at the far end of a long pool, in Isfahan built by Shah Abbas II to be used for the Shah’s entertainment and receptions.

5- Monar Jonban

Monar Jonban is considered as one of the most popular monuments of Isfahan for its wonderful architecture. The main distinguished feature of this monument is that by shaking strongly one minaret, the other minaret starts shaking with the same frequency.

6- The Great Mosque of Isfahan

Great Mosque of Isfahan in Iran is unique in this regard and thus enjoys a special place in the history of Islamic architecture. Its present configuration is the sum of building and decorating activities carried out from the 8th through the 20th centuries.

7- Vank Cathedral

The Vank Cathedral is a masterpiece of architecture. Construction of this cathedral started at the time of Shah Abbas the second. Vank Cathedral architecture is a combination of Iranian and Armenian architecture.

8- Isfahan Music Museum

The Isfahan Music Museum is the first private one of its kind in Iran. The Museum was founded by two passionate Iranian musicians of the traditional music, Mehrdad Jeihooni and Shahriar Shokrani.

9- Nazhvan Park

Nazhvan Forest Park is the largest garden of Isfahan which has multiple recreational facilities like an aquarium, Birds garden, butterflies museum and so on. It has an area of 12000 hectares.

10- Mount Soffeh

Mount Soffeh is 2257 meters above the sea level in southern part of Isfahan. There were some castles on the mountain for defending purposes, some last vestiges of them have still remained. Mount Soffeh and its surrounding hills have been converted to Soffeh Mountain Park which covers at least 100 hectares.

Persian Tile Work

2019/11/07/206 Comments/in Architrcture , Art and Handicraft, Isfahan, Isfahan /by Iran Tourism

The history of tile manufacturing and decorating goes back to the prehistoric period and has an important position among the various decorative arts in Iranian architecture. Iran has the most beautiful tile work in the world. Over the centuries, glazed bricks and tiles have been used to decorate palaces, mosques, monuments, mausoleums, official buildings, schools, and shops.

The importance of tile work in Persian architecture arises from two important factors; first the need to weatherproof the simple clay bricks used in construction, and second, the need to ornament the buildings. Tiles were used to decorate monuments from early ages in Iran.

Evidence of brick work, stucco carving and tile panels from the last 14 centuries have provided much evidence of creative and imaginative nature of Persian Artisans. They placed their art in the service of religious architecture. This religious inspiration found its highest expression in ornate inscriptions, which decorated so many works during these centuries. Mosaic patterns were the first step in the evolution of tile decoration. Imaginative and creative artisans put together mosaic patterns using bits of colored stone and brick and created patterns of triangles, semi-circles and circles in harmony with the structures they were placed on. These patterns later evolved into design of natural subjects, such as plants, trees, animals and human beings.

The art of tile working blossomed in the Islamic period of Iran. It became the most important decorative feature of religious buildings. In Safavid era, artists used Naskh and Thulth scripts. Works of famous calligraphers, such as Alireza Abbasi, Mohammad Saleh Isfahani, Mohammad Reza Imami and Hossein Banna have been found. One of the famous mosques in Isfahan enjoying a rich variety of tile work is Khayyatha Mosque which researches has done lots of examination on it.

Kashan

2019/11/04/0 Comments/in Isfahan, Kashan, Other /by Iran Tourism

Kashan is a city in the northern part of Isfahan province of Iran. This is a common destination for tourists due to its multiple historical sites after cities like Isfahan and Shiraz. It is a traditional city with many sites and surrounding attractive villages to discover. Kashan is divided into two parts including mountainous and desert. Kashan is cited in the neighbourhood of two of highest peaks of Karkas chain, Mount Gargash to the southwest of Kashan and Mount Ardehaal in the west of Kashan, also known as “Damavand of Kashan” and the highest peak of Ardehaal mountains, in the west side; and in the east side of the city, Kashan opens up to the central desert of Iran which the city is famous for. Kashan is also known for Maranjab Desert and Caravanserai located near the Salt Lake.

Kashan is a charming city due to its contrast between the parched immensities of the deserts and the greenery of the oasis. Archeologists discovered that this region was one of the primary centers of civilization in pre-historic ages in the Sialk Hillocks lied about 4km west of Kashan.

Kashan was also a leisure vacation spot for Safavid Kings. Fin Garden, specifically, is one of the most famous gardens of Iran. This beautiful garden with its pool and orchards was designed for Shah Abbas I as a classical Persian vision of paradise.

Traditional houses especially, Tabatabaei, Borujerdi, Ameri and Abbasi house feature an incredible architecture, tile work and stucco.

Archeological finds yielded conclusive evidence of the fact that Kashan has been the cradle of many Iranian traditional crafts. Kashan maintained its great importance as a center of traditional industries throughout all historical periods. This town, as a city associated with high-quality ceramic production in the medieval period, appears to have been a major site for the manufacture of fine wares.

Engraving

2019/10/10/2 Comments/in Architrcture , Art and Handicraft, Isfahan /by Iran Tourism

Engraving (Ghalam Zani) is the art of carving designs on various metals such as copper, brass, silver, gold and also some alloys. It’s one of the traditional handicrafts of Iran that its origin goes back to the Sogians period that lived in Caucasus around 5000 to 7000 years ago and had Aryan origins.

Resuming this art is due to the diligent attempts of Ostad Mohammad Oraizi and Ostad Mohammad Taghi Zufan during the past eighty years, which has been led to creating tens of outstanding and distinguished metal engravings on the one hand and training the new generation on the other.

The decorations are going to be performed on material which has already been shaped with hammer and anvil by another skillful artist. Metalworking masters are those who work with different sorts of metal sheets shaping them in to beautiful dishes, vases, boxes, samovars, and etc. and preparing them to be engraved.

Nowadays, due to the hard job and old getting of the masters, the preparation of the metal dishes is sometimes getting performed by machinery.

The intricate process of creating each and every piece requires extensive skill, talent, and patience extended by the artists. The artistic movement of the engraver’s hand and the harmonized blows of the hammer and engraving tool will be finally led to creating a unique job.

Different scenes from nature, animal and human shapes, flower and plant patterns, hunting grounds, etc., are some of the many aesthetic images hand-portrayed and carved on many kinds of Ghalam Zani pieces.

The enchanting Ghalam Zani handicrafts are made in the shape of decorative trays, plates, vases, pitchers, etc. This magnificent art has a long history dating back to more than several thousand years ago. Excavated Ghalam Zani artifacts belonging to the Sassanian, Saljoughi, and Safavid eras are currently displayed at various museums across the world.

Khatamkari

2019/10/06/1 Comment/in Architrcture , Art and Handicraft, Isfahan /by Iran Tourism

Khatamkari literally means decorating objects’ surfaces with small pieces like tiles and it is one of the Persian arts wherein the surface of wooden or metallic articles is decorated with pieces of wood, bone and metal cut in a variety of shapes and designs.

This art, to some extent, has existed in Iran from long ago. Inlaid articles in the Safavid era took on a special significance, as artists used this art on doors, windows, mirror frames, Qur’an boxes, pen and pen holders, lanterns and tombs.

Also, in some royal buildings, doors and various items have been inlaid. The inlaid-ornamented rooms in Sa’dabad and Marble Palace in Tehran are among masterpieces of this art.

Incorporating techniques from China and improving it with Persian know-how, this craft existed for more than 700 years and is still practiced in Shiraz and Isfahan.

How to do it

Gold, silver and etc. can be used for collector coins. These rods are first assembled into triangular beams with geometric patterns, and then these are assembled again and glued into bundles in a strict order to form a cylinder of about 70cm, whose edge shows the unity of the base of the final decoration.

These cylinders are then sheared in shorter cylinders, then compressed and dried between two wooden plates, before undergoing a final cut that makes slices of about 1 mm in thickness. The latter are then ready to be plated and glued on the support object to be decorated before being lacquered. They can be preheated to soften them, if the object is curved, so that they can perfectly marry the curves. The decorated objects are: boxes, chess or backgammon, frames, or even musical instruments.

The Khatam technique can also be applied to the famous Persian miniatures, thus creating true works of art.

Handicrafts of Isfahan – Part 2

2019/06/04/0 Comments/in Architrcture , Art and Handicraft, Isfahan, Isfahan /by Iran Tourism

In the first part, we reviewed 5 items of Isfahan handicrafts. In the following, there are other items from Isfahan Handicrafts.

6. Moaragh

The word “Moaragh” actually means something tidy, the art of making art is the laying of colorful and valuable wood, such as ivory, oysters, and metal, to achieve the desired design.

Wood art mosaic can be one of the most beautiful and finest wood arts and crafts in Iran. The Isfahan art scene in Iran has a special place, the best and most diverse works of the world about this art to the Iranians. In fact, this art is really about making different kinds of different types of different colors and patterns.

7. Ghalamkari

Ghalamkari is derived from the Persian words ghalam (pen) and kari (craftsmanship), meaning drawing with a pen. This is a type of hand-painted or wooden block-printed cotton textile, using natural dyes. It is an old craft that has been used as a conduit for their artistic creativity by the Iranian graphic designers, since the antiquity.

8. Firoozeh Koobi

Firoozeh Koobi (Turquoise) is one of the most popular arts in Isfahan. In this art, small pieces of turquoise appear on the surface of dishes, jewelry and decorative objects. This works on copper, brass, silver and bronze surfaces.

9. Carpet Weaving

Carpets are one of the first artistic handicrafts which have been woven since ancient times in Persia. Iranian Carpets have always been famous all over the world. Almost all international tourists buy even a small Iranian carpet during their trips in Iran. During the Safavid era, Isfahan was considered one of the main centers of carpet weaving in Iran and there were a lot of workshops. Today, the city of Meyme is one of the important centers for producing handmade carpets in Isfahan province.

10. Pottery and Ceramics

Pottery is the process of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired to give them a hard, durable form. This art is considered in the city of Isfahan, as well as in the cities of Natanz and Shahreza

11. Miniature

Miniature is a kind of painting that has long existed in Iran. This type of painting can be sold as decorative panels or used in the architecture to decorate the walls.