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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.

Yazd

2019/12/10/0 Comments/in Other, Yazd, Yazd /by Iran Tourism

Yazd is a desert city in central Iran and the capital of the Yazd province. It is an ancient city dating back to the Sassanid period. It is nicknamed “the City of Wind catchers” in Persian, and in 2017 it was listed by UNESCO as a world heritage. The climate is completely desertic. A network of qanats (tunnels dug to carry water) links Yazd with the edge of the nearby mountain Shir Kuh. Each district of the city is built on a qanat and has a communal center. Some of the city’s inhabitants are Zoroastrians whose ancestors had fled toward Yazd and Kerman when the Muslim Arabs conquered Iran. Yazd is now the last center of Zoroastrianism in Iran. The economy of the area in which Yazd is situated is dominated by agriculture that was modernized through the establishment of farm corporations and processing centers for agricultural products. The chief crops grown include wheat, barley, cotton, oilseeds, indigo plants, fruits, and vegetables.

Yazd is an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement which is representative of the interaction of man and nature in a desert environment that results from the optimal use and clever management of the limited resources that are available in such an arid setting by the qanat system and the use of earth in constructing buildings with sunken courtyards and underground spaces. Besides creating pleasant micro-climate, it uses minimum amounts of materials, which provides inspiration for new architecture facing the sustainability challenges today.

Yazd possesses a large number of excellent examples of traditional desert architecture with a range of houses from modest ones to very large and highly decorated properties. In addition to the main mosque and bazaar which are in a very good state, each district of the historic city still has all its specific features such as water cisterns, hammams, mosques, mausoleums, etc. In the city, there are still many streets and alleys which have kept their original pattern, having also many sabats.

The most important historical monuments of Yazd are Masjid-e Jame, Yazd Water Museum, Takyeh Amir Chakhmagh, Cistern of Fatemeh-e-Golshan, Amir Chakhmagh Mosque, Market Square Clock, Fire temple, Dakhmeh or Zoroastrian Towers of Silence, Dowlat Abad Garden, Museum of Zoroastrians History and Culture, and etc. which attracts numerous visitors.

Kerman

2019/12/05/52 Comments/in Kerman, Kerman, Other /by Iran Tourism

Kerman is the capital city of Kerman, the biggest province of Iran. Kerman is one of the five historical cities of Iran. From the industrial, political, cultural and scientific points of view, it is the most important city in the southeast of Iran. The city lies on a sandy plain, 1755 meters above sea level, under barren rocky hills. Surrounded by mountains on the north and east, it has a cool climate and frequent sandstorms in the autumn and spring. Kerman is very famous for its long history and strong cultural heritage. Due to the special geographical conditions Kerman province enjoys considerable changeable climate. The population is mostly Persian-speaking Muslims, with a Zoroastrian minority.

Kerman city was probably founded by Ardashir I of the Sasanid dynasty and was called Behdesir. Under the Safavid, it came to be known as Kerman and was made capital of a province. Kerman city with a height of 1755 meters is located on a high margin of Lut Desert in the central south of Iran, is the Capital of Kerman Providence. Kerman is counted as one of the oldest cities.

The Sar-ta-sari Mall of Kerman is large and there are some old mosques including Masjed-e Malek, Masjed-e Jomeh, Masjed-e Bazar-e Shaah, and Masjed-e Pa Minar. At the western end of the bazaar is the Arg, the former citadel of the Qajar dynasty. Next to it is the Qaleh, allegedly constructed as a citadel by the Afghans during a short-lived subjugation of Kerman. On the Kerman plain stands the Jabel-e Sang and to the west is the Bagh-e Sirif, a luxuriant garden.

The great potentials in Kerman province, regarding such resources as industry, mining, agriculture, and service-sector, have all created favorable conditions to establish postgraduate education and research centers for further development of the area. Graduate University of Advanced Technology (GUAT) was thus founded in 2007 with the aim to partly fill this gap. With an area of 2000 hectares, the GUAT is located in Mahan, 28km southeast of Kerman. Currently, there are three faculties providing educational and research services in 39 MSc and 15 PhD programs, together with the facilities prepared in the same campus for commercializing the knowledge-based achievements of the GUAT post-graduate students and researchers.

Kerman is the largest carpet exporting center of Iran. The city formerly owed its industrial reputation to its shawl making, but that industry was surpassed by carpet making and is a major exporter of pistachio nuts.

Top 10 tourist attractions of Shiraz

2019/12/02/0 Comments/in Fars, Other, Shiraz /by Iran Tourism

Shiraz is one of the most significant city at the center of Fars province at the height of 1486 m above sea level, located in the Zagros mountainous area. Shiraz is known as the city of Poets literature wine and flowers. It is also considered by many Iranians to be the city of gardens due to the many gardens and fruit trees. Here are the most popular attractions of Shiraz.

1- Perspolis

This magnificent court was the summer residence of the Achaemenid emperors and their official reception quarters. Although Alexander set on fire and destroyed it, in a gesture symbolizing the destruction of Persian imperial power, its impressive ruins permit a fairly complete reconstruction of its original appearance.

2- Pasargadae

Pasargadae was the first dynastic capital of the Achaemenid Empire, founded by Cyrus II the Great, in Pars, homeland of the Persians. Its palaces, gardens and the mausoleum of Cyrus are outstanding examples of the first phase of royal Achaemenid art and architecture and exceptional testimonies of Persian civilization.

3-Eram Garden

Eram Garden, located along the northern shore of the Khoshk River in Shiraz, is one of the most famous and beautiful Persian gardens in all of Iran.

4- Tomb of Hafez

The tombstone of Hafez lies in a beautiful garden which is another sample of Persian gardens. The architecture of this monument is amazing. The mausoleum has 8 pillars which signify the century when he lived.

5- Tomb of Sa’di

The building was constructed by the Association for National Arts and the tomb of Sa’di was placed in an octagonal mausoleum with high dome and interesting tile works.

6- Vakil Bazaar

Vakil Bazaar in Shiraz is the main section of the Shiraz Bazaar which was built by Karim Khan as part of a plan to make Shiraz into a prominent trading center.

7- Mausoleum of Shah Cheragh

Shah-e Cheragh Shrine is a funerary monument and mosque in Shiraz, Iran, housing the tomb of the brothers Ahmad and Muhammad, sons of Musa al-Kadhim and brothers of Ali ar-Ridha.

8- Ghalat Village

The village is a mixture of gardens and some houses which are mostly built with roughly shaped stones plus mortar. The village enjoys in its vicinity an eye-catching waterfall.

9- Arjan Plain

Arjan magnificent plain is located 60 kilometers from Shiraz and 20 kilometers from Kazeroun city.

10- Margoon Waterfall

The height of this waterfall is 70 meters and its width is 100 meters. This waterfall is in fact the source of a river and there are no rivers at the top of the mountain but there are several thousand springs on the mountain body from which water come out.

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 Miniature

2019/11/20/1 Comment/in Architrcture , Art and Handicraft /by Iran Tourism

A Persian miniature is a small painting, whether a book illustration or a separate work of art intended to be kept in an album of such works and it is briefly a richly detailed miniature painting which depicts religious or mythological themes from the region of the Middle East. The techniques are broadly comparable to the Western and Byzantine traditions of miniatures in illuminated manuscripts, which probably had an influence on the origins of the Persian tradition. Miniature painting became a significant Persian form in the 13th century, and the highest point in the tradition was reached in the 15th and 16th centuries. The tradition continued, under some Western influence, after this, and has many modern exponents.

Miniatures are much the best-known form of Persian painting in the West. Several features about Persian miniatures stand out. The first is the size and level of detail; many of these paintings are quite small, but they feature rich, complex scenes which can occupy a viewer for hours. Classically, a Persian miniature also features accents in gold and silver leaf, along with a very vivid array of colors. The perspective in a Persian miniature also tends to be very intriguing, with elements overlaid on each other in ways which sometimes feel awkward to people who are accustomed to the look and feel of Western art. The Persian miniature was probably inspired by Chinese art, given the very Chinese themes which appear in some early examples of Persian miniatures. Many of the mythological creatures depicted in early Persian art, for example, bear a striking resemblance to animals in Chinese myth. Over time, however, Persian artists developed their own style and themes, and the concept of the Persian miniature was picked up by neighboring regions.

Kamal al-Din Behzad Heravi was a painter of Persian miniatures and head of the royal ateliers in Herat and Tabriz during the late Timurid and early Safavid periods. He is equally skilled with the organic areas of landscape, but where he uses the traditional geometric style Behzad stretches that compositional device in a couple ways. One is that he often uses open, unpatterned empty areas around which action moves. Behzad’s most famous works include The Seduction of Yusuf from Sa’di’s Bustan and paintings from the British Library’s Nizami manuscript particularly scenes from Layla and Majnun and the Haft Paykar.

The Persian miniature was the dominant influence on other Islamic miniature traditions, principally the Ottoman miniature in Turkey, and the Mughal miniature in the Indian sub-continent.

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.