Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Walking Tour Bazar-e Bozorg
Visitors are often overwhelmed by the bazaar's labyrinthine layout, but if you start with this walking tour you'll
soon get your bearings and be able to continue exploring independently.
Start at the ornamental pool in front of the imposing
Qeysarieh Portal
at the northern end of Naqsh-e Jahan
(Imam) Sq. Rather than walking through the portal, head into Sarafha Alley on the right (east) side of the pool and
then turn left at the T-intersection at its end. Walk straight ahead, passing the spectacular
Malek Timcheh
, a
Qajar-era building with three vaulted spaces, on the left and then the
M S Khan
, an old caravanserai, on the
right. Continue on until you eventually come to a forked intersection with a pretty tiled fountain straight ahead. Veer
into the left fork, Bagh Ghalandarha Alley, and walk down it until you reach the
Masjed-e Hakim
(Hakim
Mosque) on your left. This is Esfahan's oldest mosque, but only the beautiful portal beside this northern entrance
has survived from the Buyid-dynasty structure built about 1000 years ago. Backtrack to the T-intersection and this
time take the right (east) fork, which is signed as Darbagh Alley. A bit further along on the right, down some steps
leading into a modern
khan
(caravanserai), is an unattractive but undeniably authentic
teahouse
full of
bazaris
(shopkeepers in the bazaar) enjoying tea, qalyans (water pipes) and cheap bowls of
dizi
(lamb and vegetable stew
pounded to a paste at the table). To find the caravanserai look for the picture of a water pipe adorning a sign on
Darbagh Alley. Back on the alley, continue walking and then veer right into B Bozorg Blind Alley, one of the
bazaar's busiest and oldest thoroughfares. The vaulted ceiling along this stretch is magnificent, adorned with aper-
tures shaped like stars and hexagons. Follow this serpentine alley all the way to your last stop on this tour, the mag-
nificent
Masjed-e Jameh
, crossing one reasonably major street along the way. Note: be sure to get to the
mosque well before it closes for lunch at 11am.
Naqsh-e Jahan Squareناهج شقن نادیم) ماما نادیم)
(Imam Sq;
Click here
)
Naqsh-e Jahan means 'pattern of the world', and it's a world that
owes much to the vision of Shah Abbas the Great. Begun in 1602 as the centrepiece of
Abbas' new capital, the square was designed as home to the finest jewels of the Safavid
empire - the incomparable Masjed-e Shah, the supremely elegant Masjed-e Sheikh Lot-
follah and the indulgent and lavishly decorated Kakh-e Ali Qapu and Qeysarieh Portal. At
512m long and 163m wide, this immense space is the second-largest square on earth -
only Mao Zedong's severe Tiananmen Sq in Beijing is bigger. It is a Unesco World Herit-
age Site.
The square has changed little since it was built, and at each end you can still see the
goal posts used in regular polo games 400 years ago (you'll see these polo matches depic-
ted on miniatures for sale around the square). The only modern additions are the foun-
tains, which were added by the Pahlavis, and the souvenir shops, which occupy the spaces
on either side of the arched arcades but are relatively innocuous.
SQUARE
