Things to do in Esfahan
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Bazar-e Bozorg
Esfahan’s Bazar-e Bozorg links Imam Sq with the Jameh Mosque, 1.7km northeast. The bazaar’s arched passageways are topped by a series of small domes, each with an aperture at its apex spilling shafts of light onto the commerce below. While the oldest parts of the bazaar, around the Jameh Mosque, are more than a thousand years old, most of what you see today was built during Shah Abbas’ aggressive expansions in the early 1600s.
reviewed
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Bastani Restaurant
In the shadow of the Imam Mosque, the Bastani is the best-located restaurant in Esfahan. That, however, is where the compliments end. In recent years the quality of the food has been less consistent. Which is a pity, as the menu is full of interesting-sounding dishes. If you do eat here, the billing can be confusing so check it carefully. It’s a pity, as the menu is full of interesting-sounding dishes and it used to be good. Hopefully it will pick up.
reviewed
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Imam Mosque
The Imam Mosque is one of the most beautiful mosques in the world. The richness of its blue-tiled mosaic designs and its perfectly proportioned Safavid-era architecture form a visually stunning monument to the imagination of Shah Abbas I and the ability of his architect. The sumptuous decoration of the mosque perfectly complements the architectural elegance.
reviewed
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Si-o-Seh Bridge Teahouse
This teahouse at the north end of Si-o-Seh Bridge is an Esfahani institution (and it’s not touristy) and the last of the bridge chaykhanehs. The teahouse is typically male dominated, but foreign women do get honorary male treatment and it is invariably a boisterous atmosphere, especially under the pylons.
reviewed
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Khaju Bridge
Arguably the finest of Esfahan's bridges, the Khaju Bridge was built by Shah Abbas II in about 1650 (although a bridge is believed to have crossed the waters here since the time of Tamerlane). It also doubles as a dam, and has always been as much a meeting place as a bearer of traffic.
Its 110m length has two levels of terraced arcades, the lower containing locks regulating water flow. If you look hard, you can still see original paintings and tiles, and the remains of stone seats built for Shah Abbas II to sit on and admire the views. In the centre, a pavilion was built exclusively for his pleasure. It was a teahouse, but not anymore. Vendors at the end of the bridge sel…
reviewed
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Iwans
Iwans are rectangular halls opening onto a courtyard. The Jameh Mosque's south iwan is the most elaborate, with Mongol-era stalactite mouldings, some splendid 15th-century mosaics on the side walls, and two minarets. The north iwan has a wonderful monumental porch with the Seljuk's customary Kufic inscriptions and austere brick pillars in the sanctuary.
The west iwan was originally built by the Seljuks but later decorated by the Safavids. It has mosaics that are more geometric than those of the southern hall. The courtyard is topped by a maazeneh, a small raised platform with a conical roof from where the faithful used to be called to prayer.
reviewed
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Zayandeh River Bridges
There are few better ways to spend an afternoon in Esfahan than strolling along the Zayandeh River, crossing back and forth using the old fairytale bridges and listening to Esfahanis reciting poetry and just chilling out. Such a stroll is especially pleasant at sunset and early evening when most of the Zayandeh river bridges are illuminated. In total, 11 bridges (six are new) cross the Zayandeh.
All but one of the historic Safavid-era crossings lie to the east of Chahar Bagh St - the exception is the shorter Marnan Bridge - but most people satisfy themselves with the walk from Si-o-Seh Bridge to Khaju Bridge, and back.
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Pigeon Towers
For centuries Esfahan relied on pigeons to supply guano as fertiliser for the city's famous fields of watermelons. The guano was collected in almost 3000 squat, circular pigeon towers, each able to house about 14,000 birds. Today they are unused, made redundant by chemical fertiliser, but more than 700 of the mud-brick towers remain in the city's environs.
The best place to see them is dotted along the Zayandeh River south of the Ateshkadeh. The 10km walk back into Esfahan makes a great afternoon, and you're also likely to see locally made cloth being laid out to dry.
reviewed
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Chehel Sotun
One of the only surviving palaces from the royal parklands between Imam Sq and Chahar Bagh Abbasi St, Safavid-era Chehel Sotun is today most famous for its frescoes. It was built as a pleasure pavilion and reception hall, using the Achaemenid-inspired talar (columnar porch) style. There are historical references to the palace dating from 1614; however, an inscription uncovered in 1949 says it was completed in 1647 under the watch of Shah Abbas II. Either way, what you see today was rebuilt after a fire in 1706.
reviewed
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Jameh Mosque Domes
In the Jameh Mosque, the room beneath the grand Nezam al-Molk Dome and the Seljuk-era hypostyle prayer halls either side just breathe history, while at the other end of the complex the Taj al-Molk Dome is widely considered to be the finest brick dome ever built. While relatively small, it is said to be mathematically perfect, and has survived dozens of earthquakes with nary a blemish for more than 900 years. To reach it you walk through a forest of imposing pillars.
These domes are among the oldest parts of the mosque.
reviewed
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Jolfa
Esfahan's Armenian quarter is Jolfa. It dates from the time of Shah Abbas I, who transported this colony of Christians from the town of Jolfa (now on Iran's northern border) en masse, and named the village 'New Jolfa'. Abbas sought their skills as merchants, entrepreneurs and artists - a look at the walls of Vank Cathedral reveals what he was after.
The Armenian Christians had their religious freedom respected, but they were restricted to this area across the river and kept away from the Islamic centres.
reviewed
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Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque
A study in harmonious understatement, this mosque is the perfect complement to the overwhelming richness of the larger Imam Mosque, and is arguably the most fabulous mosque in Iran. Built between 1602 and 1619, during the reign of Shah Abbas I, the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque is dedicated to the ruler’s father-in-law, Sheikh Lotfollah, a revered Lebanese scholar of Islam who was invited to Esfahan to oversee the king’s mosque (now the Imam Mosque) and theological school.
reviewed
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Ali Qapu Palace
Built at the very end of the 16th century as a residence for Shah Abbas I, the majestic six-storey Ali Qapu Palace also served as a monumental gateway (Ali Qapu means the ‘Gate of Ali’) to the royal palaces that lay in the parklands beyond. Named for Abbas’ hero, the Imam Ali, it was built to make an impression and at six storeys and 48m tall it did. French traveller Sir John Chardin described it as ‘the largest palace ever built in any capital’.
reviewed
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Manar Jomban
The 14th-century tomb of Abu Abdullah, a revered dervish, is in Kaladyn. The tomb is popularly known as Manar Jomban because pushing hard against one minaret will start it, and the other minaret, swaying back and forth. The minarets were added during the 17th century. Attendants climb up to shake them once an hour, on the hour. Iranians love this sight, but it’s only barely worth the trip – and on slow days they might not be shaken at all.
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Vank Cathedral
Built between 1606 and 1655 with the encouragement of the Safavid rulers, Vank Cathedral is the historic focal point of the Armenian church in Iran. The church’s exterior is unexciting, but the interior is richly decorated and shows the curious mixture of styles – Islamic tiles and designs alongside Christian imagery – that characterises most churches in Iran. The frescoes are truly magnificent, and sometimes wonderfully gruesome.
reviewed
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Jameh Mosque
The Jameh Mosque is a veritable museum of Islamic architecture and still a working mosque. Within a couple of hours you can see and compare 800 years of Islamic design, with each example near to the pinnacle of its age. The range is quite stunning: from the geometric elegance of the Seljuks, through to the Mongol period and on to the refinements of the more baroque Safavid style. At more than 20,000 sq metres, it is also the biggest mosque in Iran.
reviewed
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Room of Sultan Uljeitu
To fully appreciate the Jameh Mosque you must go into the fine interior rooms. The Room of Sultan Uljeitu, a 14th-century Shiite convert, is home to one of the mosque's greatest treasures - an exquisite stucco mihrabawash with dense Quranic inscriptions and floral designs. Next door is the Timurid-era Winter Hall (Beit al-Sheta), built in 1448 and lit by alabaster skylights - ask the caretaker to turn off the neon (or do it yourself) to see the full effect.
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Khangostar Restaurant
Located in Julfa Hotel, Khangostar Restaurant offers probably the best food in Esfahan – locals, our own experience and overwhelmingly positive reader feedback can attest to this. Servings are enormous here, (even by Iranian standards!) and the menu large and varied, but mainly Iranian. It’s busy rather than romantic, and the salad and dessert bars might seem a bit Sizzler, but hey, you won’t complain when you get there.
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Si-o-Seh Bridge
The 298m-long Si-o-Seh Bridge was built by Allahverdi Khan, a favourite general of Shah Abbas I, between 1599 and 1602 to link the upper and lower halves of Chahar Bagh St in Esfahan. It served as both bridge and dam, and is still used to hold water today. Until recently there were teahouses at either end of the bridge, both accessed through the larger arches underneath, though only the northern one remains.
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Qeysarieh Tea Shop
Sitting at the outdoor tables, sipping tea (IR5000 per person) and puffing qalyan (IR10,000), is the perfect way to soak up this beautiful ‘half of the world’, especially when the colours and moods of the square change in the late afternoon. And despite its position, the Qeysarieh Tea Shop is often pretty quiet. The tea shop is up a steep staircase to the left of the Qeysarieh Portal.
reviewed
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Sadaf Hotel
The Sadaf Hotel’s restaurant is especially recommended between June and October when you can eat on the rooftop. The food, including steak with mushroom sauce (IR30,000), and the usual range of tasty kababs, is consistently good and complements the rooftop views (when you stand up) across the Old City. It opens indoors during the rest of the year.
reviewed
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Ablutions Fountain
In the centre of the Jameh Mosque's main courtyard, which is surrounded by four contrasting iwans, is an attractive ablutions fountain designed to imitate the Kaaba at Mecca; would-be haj pilgrims would use it to practise the appropriate rituals. The two-storey porches around the courtyard's perimeter were constructed in the late 15th century.
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Hammam-e Ali Gholi Agha
In the historic district of Bid Abad, the recently restored Hammam-e Ali Gholi Agha is now a well-maintained (but poorly signed) museum to bathhouses. Fortunately there is information at the entrance, explaining the Qajar-era history and uses of the hammam. English-speaking guides are also available. It’s worth a look.
reviewed
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Azadegan Teahouse
In a lane off the northeastern corner of Imam Sq, this is the classic old-style teahouse, with an astonishing collection of teahouse-junk hanging from the walls and ceiling and grumpy men lined up opposite each other sipping tea and smoking…ahm, hang on… It’s just sipping and eating before 6pm; the qalyans come out after that.
reviewed
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Restaurant Shahrzad
The opulent Qajar-style wall-paintings, stained-glass windows and mirror work contribute to the Shahrzad’s reputation as the best restaurant in Esfahan. And on a good night, it’s excellent – strip lights notwithstanding. Too often, however, it’s packed with tour groups and the service (and food) feels factory produced.
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