Iran Isfahan Tours

Isfahan's central square, Naqsh-e Jahan, is one of the largest public squares in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage site, ringed by the Shah Mosque, the Ali Qapu palace and the entrance to the grand bazaar.

Naqsh-e Jahan Square and Its Mosques

The turquoise domes of the Shah Mosque and the smaller, more intimate Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque face each other across the square, both decorated with the tilework the city is best known for. Horse-drawn carriages still circle the square in the evenings.

Chehel Sotoun and the Armenian Quarter

The Chehel Sotoun pavilion, its wooden columns reflected in a long garden pool, holds Safavid-era murals of court life and battle scenes. Across the Zayandeh River, the Armenian quarter of Jolfa centers on Vank Cathedral, where Persian tilework meets Christian iconography inside a single building.

Isfahan's Bridges After Dark

The Khaju and Si-o-se-pol bridges are built with arched lower galleries meant for sitting, not just crossing, and locals still gather there in the evening to sing. Both bridges are lit after sunset, when the river beneath them is often at its lowest.