Eṣfahān summary

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Eṣfahān, Iran: Masjed-e Emām (“Imam Mosque”)
The Masjed-e Emām (“Imam Mosque”) in Eṣfahān, Iran.

Eṣfahān , or Iṣfahān, City (pop., 2007 est.: 1,628,000), west-central Iran. An ancient Median town, it was known as Aspadana. It was a major city in the 11th–12th century under the Seljūq Turks and during the Ṣafavid dynasty of Iran (16th–18th century). Its golden age began in 1598 when Shah ʿAbbās I made it his capital and rebuilt it into one of the 17th century’s greatest cities. At its centre he created the immense Maydān-e Shāh, or “Royal Square” (now Maydān-e Emām; “Imam’s Square”), a great rectangular garden enclosing the Masjid-e Shāh (“Royal Mosque”; now Masjid-e Emām). In 1722 Afghans took the city, and it went into decline. Recovery began in the 20th century, and it is now a major textile centre; its other industries include steelmaking and petroleum refining. The square was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979.

Iran Summary

Iran, a mountainous, arid, and ethnically diverse country of southwestern Asia. The country maintains a rich and distinctive cultural and social continuity dating back to the Achaemenian period, which began in 550 bce. In recent decades it has become known for its unique brand of Islamic republic.

Asia Summary

Asia, the world’s largest and most diverse continent. It occupies the eastern four-fifths of the giant Eurasian landmass. Asia is more a geographic term than a homogeneous continent, and the use of the term to describe such a vast area always carries the potential of obscuring the enormous

ʿAbbās I Summary

ʿAbbās I was the shah of Persia from 1588 to 1629, who strengthened the Safavid dynasty by expelling Ottoman and Uzbek troops from Persian soil and by creating a standing army. He also made Eṣfahān the capital of Persia and fostered commerce and the arts, so that Persian artistic achievement