Ispahan is a mandatory and quasi-initiatic step. Fueled by generations of architects, artists and artisans, his reputation as a jewel of the Muslim Persian is not usurped. To visit at the end of stay preferably, otherwise other cities may wrongly appear to be fades. Take four days to take full advantage of its splendors and atmosphere, because the "Blue City" also retains the visitor for its gentle living and the kindness of its inhabitants, the Isfahanis.A former capital and head of the eponymous province, it occupies, 420 km south of Tehran, a first-class position at the crossroads of the great northeast northwest road along the Zagros chain. It is with Chiraz the natural link between the north and the south of the country. Located at an altitude of 1575 meters, it will be the urban center of a rich oasis fed by the abundant waters of the Zayandeh Rud River, which is descended from the Zagros Mountains. Important political functions were then needed and developed on the basis of its central position.Today, Ispahan and its suburbs are almost two million inhabitants. The third city of Iran, after Tehran and Machhad, remains the country's first cultural center. The modernization of the country initiated by Iran's last Shah ensured the development of the city. In 1970, the construction of a large dam upstream of the oasis regularized the city's water supply. In addition to agriculture and crafts, oil refineries, textiles and metallurgy are now most of its activity.Between enigmatic mountains and arid plateaux, it enchants as much with the decor of the turquoise domes of its mosques as by the magnificent bridges overlooking the Zayandeh Rud and the greenery of its gardens. The discovery of its unique historical heritage of xie in the eighteenth century invariably begins with the visit of monuments of Place Royale, with its Great Royal Mosque. Then these remarkable testimonials of safavide architecture are the high flag of Ali Qâpu and the Cheik Lotfollâh mosque. We also need to get lost in the bazaar, one of Iran's most beautiful, which leads to the north end of the vast Royal Place.The journey extends into the royal pavilions of Hasht Behesht (pavilion of the Eight Paradis) and Chehel Sotoun (Forty Columns Pavilion), in the middle of gardens such as Nakch-é Djahan Park, the «Mirror of the World».After serving your soles and raising your eyes all day, relax in one of the unforgettable tea houses on the Si-o-Seh and Choubi bridges, jamming the Zayandeh Rud River. At the edge of the water, the bounty has a special flavor…Visit the Armenian district of Djolinea to visit Vank Cathedral, one of the most interesting churches in Islam. And finish with a passage in a Zurich (traditional Iranian gymnasium), history to witness spectacular sporting demonstration.

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La cour d'une mosquée à Ispahan. Jeremy Woodhouse

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