Esfahan: History

Pre-20th-Century History

To trace Esfahan's story - like that of many great centres of the Middle East - is to plunge deeply into the history of human civilisation. Its strategic position (commanding access to Iran's central plateau) and agricultural riches (fed by the Zayandeh River) made it a natural population centre, and the archaeological record suggests human habitation as far back as the Paleolithic Era. It enters written history with the Elamites, who dominanted the area from 2700 BC until 539BC, when they were displaced by Cyrus, founder of the First (Achaemenid) Persian Empire. Esfahan's only relic of the Achaemenid civilisation, a vast and culturally splendid empire that lasted until Cyrus' descendant Darius III was defeated by Alexander the Great in 330BC, is Atashgah, the nearby Zoroastrian 'fire temple'.

The Asian part of Alexander's conquests became the Seleucid Empire, but began to decline almost before the demise of Seleucus (its founder and one of Alexander's generals) in 281 BC. The agglomeration of territories, cultures and ambitions the Seleucids ruled over proved untenable, and the dynasty was succeeded by a former subject people - the Parthians, who had settled Persia several centuries earlier. They were displaced in turn by the Second (Sassanid) Empire, a warlike, aristocratic, yet culturally-accomplished civilisation that surpassed the achievements of the Parthians, carving out an empire in defiance of Arabs, Romans and Central Asian tribes. Conquered in turn by the First Caliphate in 637, the Sassanian civilisation was robust enough to significantly influence Islamic culture, lending the accomplishments of antiquity to what was essentially a tough desert religion. Its language, Pahlavi, is also the basis of modern Farsi.

While the conquering Arabs made Esfahan the capital of the Jibal province, its people didn't become Muslims overnight: the aristocratic and urban classes, eager to preserve their privilege, were the first to convert, while the peasantry and country-dwellers sometimes took centuries to get on board.

Esfahan's first period of greatness occurred under the Seljuks, a Turkish Sunni dynasty commanding an empire stretching from the Black Sea to the delta of the Indus, with Esfahan as its capital. It was sacked by the Mongols in 1237, and again in 1387 (by Tamerlane), dealing serious blows to its fortunes.

Esfahan's greatest period was under Shah Abbas I (The Great), most prominent of the Safavid Dynasty that made Shia the state religion of a newly self-aware Iran. Shiite theocracy, later embodied in the Ayatollahs, was to become a major source of national identity and conservative cohesion. Abbas I, determined to make Esfahan his capital, built a new city alongside the ancient Persian centre, creating an architectural legacy that continues to delight visitors to this day. Barring a brief incursion by Afghani Gilzais, the incompetent and extravagant Qajar dynasty succeeded the Safavids, ruling Iran until the 20th century.

Modern History

Iran, it's safe to say, went through a change or two in the twentieth century. The struggle between the forces of modernisation (taking forms such as the pre-WWII 'Women's Awakening,' which sought to liberate women from the shackles of Islamic tradition) and the forces of religious conservatism, has been a constant. Reza Shah Pahlavi, the British-backed soldier who ended the Qajar dynasty in 1921, modelled himself on Mustafa Kemal Ätaturk, pursuing radical modernisation and attempting to reduce the power of the ulema (religious establishment.)

British and US involvement in Iranian affairs didn't end with support for Reza Shah: when he proved unpalatable (voicing support for Nazism), they arranged for his son to succeed him as shah. The shah, increasingly unacceptable to the Iranian people, was swept aside in the 1979 revolution that ultimately brought Ayatollah Khomeini to power.

In many respects, the 20th century was a period of renaissance for Esfahan. While the city was never abandoned, many of its architectural treasures had fallen into disrepair. It took the initiative of the autocratic moderniser Reza Shah in the 1930s to begin restoration and rebuilding of the city's many splendid buildings and public spaces. Luckily, the value of this legacy is now better recognised, and the municipal authorities are more attuned to conservation. Esfahani rug production, which fell into abeyance when the Afghans overthrew the Safavid Dynasty in 1722, has also experienced a revival since the 1920s.

Recent History

Tourism to Esfahan is not a new phenomenon - travellers have come to marvel at its beauty and accomplishments for centuries. However, it is increasingly important to its economy, despite the skewed picture of Iran presented in the Western news media. The very basis of this popularity is, however, under some threat: as the population and economy of the city expands, its architectural legacy is at risk. For instance, the current construction of the Esfahan Metro has damaged landmarks of the city's medieval past. But it's not only buildings that may suffer: the banks of the Zayandeh, traditionally covered with gardens, are an increasingly popular site for the erection of modern apartment blocks.

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