Isfahan

Why go

Naqsh-e Jahan — one of the largest squares in the world, built as a single design in 1598. Safavid tilework at its peak — the Sheikh Lotfollah dome, which changes colour through the day. Bridges as architecture — Si-o-se-pol and Khaju, built to be sat on as much as crossed. A bazaar that has run for a thousand years — coppersmiths, miniaturists and carpet dealers.

The character

Shah Abbas moved the Safavid capital to Isfahan in 1598 and built a new city beside the old one — a square 560 metres long with a mosque at one end, a palace on one side, a private chapel on the other and the bazaar entrance at the fourth, all conceived together. The proportion is the achievement: the square is enormous and yet comprehensible, and the buildings around it are held in relation to each other rather than competing.

The Sheikh Lotfollah mosque is the finest thing in it. Built as the shah's private chapel, without a minaret or courtyard because it needed neither, its dome is tiled in cream and biscuit tones that shift from pink to gold as the day moves, and the interior lattice throws a peacock's tail across the floor at the right hour. Isfahan also has a bridge culture: the Si-o-se-pol and Khaju bridges are structures people sit in, singing under the arches in the evening — though the Zayandeh Rud beneath them now runs dry for much of the year, an environmental crisis that residents feel keenly.

Places of character

Naqsh-e Jahan Square — go three times: morning, late afternoon, and after dark when it is lit. Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque — the private chapel; be inside when the light comes through the lattice. Shah (Imam) Mosque — the great mosque at the square's south end, with a famous acoustic point under the dome. Ali Qapu Palace — the terrace over the square, and a music room with acoustic niches cut into plaster. Khaju Bridge — sit in an arch in the evening and listen to whoever is singing. Jolfa, the Armenian quarter — Vank Cathedral, with frescoes and a genocide museum.

The way to do it

Take the square in stages ahead of at once. Time Sheikh Lotfollah for mid-morning light. Walk the bazaar from the square's north gate and let it deliver you into the old Jameh mosque. And go to Jolfa for the Armenian half of the city, which most itineraries skip.

One perfect day

Naqsh-e Jahan at seven, empty, with the domes catching first light. Sheikh Lotfollah as it opens, standing under the lattice as the pattern moves. Tea on the Ali Qapu terrace. Through the bazaar to the Jameh Mosque — a thousand years of Iranian architecture in one building, four iwans and two brick domes. Lunch of beryani. Afternoon rest, then Jolfa and Vank Cathedral. Sunset at Khaju Bridge, sitting in an arch while someone sings. Dinner, and the square lit at ten with families picnicking on the grass.

Grand hotels

Abbasi Hotel — a converted seventeenth-century caravanserai with a garden courtyard; among the finest hotels in Asia. Isfahan Traditional Hotel — a smaller courtyard house near the square.

When to go

Best expression: April and May, or October — mild, clear, and with the gardens working. Consider: late March for Navruz, when the square fills with families. Avoid if possible: July and August's heat, and note that the river is usually dry regardless of season.

The frame

Ideal stay 3 nights · Minimum 2 nights · Best arrival by air or road from Tehran, or the train · Airport IFN, 25 km · Walkability excellent around the square and bazaar · Best without a car yes