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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).
The Naghsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan is one of the biggest 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 ranging from the Sassanid to the Safavid dynasties. Remaining Islamic architectural sites were built from 11th to the 19th century, while older, pre-Islamic monuments date back to 1000 B.C.
Camera Model: Canon EOS 5D Mark II; Lens: EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM; Focal length: 28.00 mm; Aperture: 13; Exposure time: 20.0 s; ISO: 125
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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).
Sheikh Lotf Allah Mosque (Masjed-e Sheikh Lotf-o-llah in Persian or مسجد شيخ لطف الّله ) or Ladies' Mosque is one of the architectural masterpieces of Safavid Iranian architecture, standing in eastern part Naghsh-i Jahan Square, Isfahan, Iran. It was built in 1615 by the orders of Shah Abbas I of the Safavid dynasty. The architect (Mimar) of the edifice was Muhammad Reza ibn Ustad Hosein Banna Isfahani. He finished construction of the mosque in 1618.
Camera Model: Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Lens: EF17-40mm f/4L USM, Photo Focal length: 17.00 mm, Aperture: 4.0, Exposure time: 1/20 s, ISO: 1600
All rights reserved - Copyright © Lucie Debelkova www.luciedebelkova.com
All images are exclusive property and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transmitted, manipulated or used in any way without expressed, written permission of the photographer.
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Kashan (Persian: کاشان, Kāshān) is a city in the province of Isfahan, Iran. When visiting Kashan in 1993, the chairman of UNESCO remarked: “Kashani architects are the greatest alchemists of history. They could make gold out of dust”. Indeed, almost all of Kashan’s masterpieces, as in many other parts in Iran are made of humble, local, earth.
Khaneh Tabatabaei-ha or "The Tabatabaeis' House" is a famous historic house in Kashan, Iran. The house was built in the 1840s for the affluent Tabatabaei family. It consists of a four beautiful courtyards, delightful wall paintings with elegant stained glass windows, and all the other classic signatures of Traditional Persian residential architecture such as biruni and andaruni.
Camera Model: Canon EOS 5D Mark II; Lens: EF17-40mm f/4L USM; Focal length: 32.00 mm; Aperture: 14; Exposure time: 6.0 s; ISO: 100
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Yazd (Persian: یزد), is the capital of Yazd province in Iran, and a centre of Zoroastrian culture. The city is located some 175 miles southeast of Isfahan. Because of generations of adaptations to its desert surroundings, Yazd is an architecturally unique city. It is also known in Iran for the high quality of its' handicrafts, especially silk weaving, and its sweet shops. Yazd with the area of 131,551km² is situated at an oasis where the Dasht-e Kavir desert and the Dasht-e Lut desert meet, the city is sometimes called "the bride of the Kavir" because of its location, in a valley between Shir Kuh, the tallest mountain in the region at 4075 m. above sea level, and Kharaneq. The city itself is located at 1203 m. above sea-level, and covers 16,000 km².
Yazd is of foremost importance as a centre of Persian architecture. Because of its climate, it has one of the largest networks of qanats in the world, and Yazdi qanat makers are considered the most skilled in Iran. To deal with the extremely hot summers, many old buildings in Yazd have magnificent windcatchers, and large underground areas. The city is also home to prime examples of yakhchals, the latter of which were used to store ice retrieved from glaciers in the nearby mountains. Yazd is also one of the largest cities built almost entirely out of adobe.
Wind towers (Badgir) are important elements in traditional Iranian architecture, providing natural air-conditioning in hot, dry and humid climates for thousands of years. These towers rise not only on ordinary houses but also on top of water cisterns (Ab-anbar) and mosques. The function of the cistern found below most wind towers in warm dry regions was to help balance humidity inside the structure. In many desert buildings, wind towers were built on top of a lavabo (howzkhaneh, which functioned as a summer courtyard). The wind was directed over the pool where it evaporated the water and took the cool air into other rooms. The first historical evidence of wind towers in Iran dates back to the fourth millennium BC.
Camera Model: Canon EOS 5D Mark II; Lens: EF17-40mm f/4L USM; Focal length: 40.00 mm; Aperture: 9.0; Exposure time: 5.0 s; ISO: 160
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Middle East - Iran - Isfahan Province - Esfahan - Isfahan - UNESCO World Heritage Site - Marvel of Islamic Architecture & Iran’s number-one tourist destination - Khaju Bridge - Khajoo Bridge - Oldest Bridge of Isfahan across Zayandeh River, 133 metres long and 12 metres wide with 24 arches - One of the finest examples of Persian architecture at the height of Safavid cultural influence at Dusk - Twilight - Blue Hour - Night
The bridges over the river include some of the nicest architecture in Isfahan. One of those extraordinary bridges in Isfahan is Khaju Bridge (Persian: پل خواجو pol-e khajoo) and has roused the admiration of travellers since the 17th century. Shah Abbas II built it on the foundations of an older bridge around 1650. It has 23 arches and is 105 metres long and 14 metres wide. It links the Khaju quarter on the north bank with the Zoroastrian quarter across the Zayandeh River. It also functions as a weir; the downstream side is formed as a series of steps carrying the water to a much lower level. The pass way of the bridge is 7.5 meters wide, made of bricks and stones with 21 larger and 26 smaller inlet and outlet channels. The pieces of stone used in this bridge are over 2 meters long and the distance between every channel and the ceiling base is 21 meters. The existing inscriptions suggest that the bridge was repaired in 1873.
Khaju is one of the bridges that regulate the water flow in the river because there are sluice gates under the archways over the river. When the sluice gates are closed, the water level behind the bridge is raised to facilitate the irrigation of the many gardens along the river upstream of this bridge.
Camera Model: Canon EOS 5D Mark II; Lens: EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM; Focal length: 55.00 mm; Aperture: 16; Exposure time: 25.0 s; ISO: 160
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