Editing Iranian architecture (section)

==== Safavid Isfahan ====

Abbas I made Isfahan his capital and embarked on the most ambitious program of construction of the Safavid period. As a result, a very large proportion of preserved Safavid monuments are concentrated in this one city. Abbas I moved the political and economic center of the city from its traditional location near the old Jameh Mosque to a new area near the [[Zayandeh River]] to the south, where a new planned city was created. It includes a sprawling [[Grand Bazaar, Isfahan|Grand Bazaar]], lined with caravanserais, which opens via a monumental portal onto a vast, rectangular public square, the [[Naqsh-e Jahan Square|Maidan-i Shah or Naqsh-e Jahan]], laid out between 1590 and 1602.<ref name=":243562" /><ref name=":2435623"/> The entire square is surrounded by a two-level arcade and symbolizes Abbas I's ambition to be one of the greatest sovereigns on the world stage. In addition to the bazaar's portal, three other buildings stand at the middle of each side of the square: the [[Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque|Sheikh Lutfallah Mosque]] (1603–1619), the [[Shah Mosque (Isfahan)|Shah Mosque]] (1611–{{Circa|1630}}), and the [[Ali Qapu]], a palace gateway and pavilion begun {{Circa|1597}} and finished under [[Abbas II of Persia|Abbas II]], c. 1660.<ref name=":243562" /><ref name=":2435623" />

{{wide image|Naghsh-e_Jahan_Square.jpg|800px|{{center|[[Naqsh-i Jahan Square|Naqshe Jahan square]] in Isfahan is the epitome of Safavid-era architecture.}}}}
[[File:Sheikh-Lotfollah-Ceiling.jpg|thumb|Interior of the dome of the [[Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque|Sheikh Lutfallah Mosque]] in Isfahan (1603–1619)]]
The two mosques on the square are each entered via monumental portals, but due to the difference between the direction of the ''[[qibla]]'' and the orientation of the square, both mosques are built at an angle from it and their vestibules bend on the way in. Both have prayer halls covered by a single large, double-shelled dome, though the Shah Mosque's prayer hall is also flanked by two hypostyle halls.<ref name=":2435623" /> Unlike in Timurid monuments, the dome interiors are not geometrically subdivided and have a uniform surface instead.<ref name=":05223" /> An effect of lightness is achieved instead by the transitional zone of arches, squinches, and windows, with the walls of the prayer hall in the Shah Mosque also pierced by open archways. On the outside, the domes have an [[Onion dome|"onion" shape]] (i.e. bulging on the sides and pointed on top).<ref name=":2435623" /> While the Shah Mosque has minarets and a traditional central courtyard surrounded by four iwans, the Lutfallah Mosque has no minarets and is different from all other Safavid mosques by consisting only of the single domed chamber.<ref name=":2435623" /> The interiors of both mosques are entirely covered in glazed tiles, predominantly blue, which were restored in the 1930s on the basis of the few remaining original tiles.<ref name=":2435623" />
[[File:2پل خواجو.jpg|left|thumb|[[Khwaju bridge|Khwaju Bridge]] (1650) in Isfahan]]
To the west of the Maidan-i Shah square was a large palace complex of gardens and pavilions. The most important surviving pavilion, [[Chehel Sotoun]] ("Forty Columns"), is dated to 1647 by an inscription, but may have been established earlier. In 1706–7, a deep, broad porch with columns was added to it, giving it its present appearance. The other notable surviving pavilion, [[Hasht Behesht]], mostly dates to the late 17th century.<ref name=":243562" /><ref name=":2435623" /> To the west of the palace grounds is a long, wide avenue called the [[Chaharbagh, Isfahan|Chaharbagh]] ("Four Gardens") which ends in the south at the [[Si-o-se-pol]] ("Bridge of thirty-three arches") bridge, built in 1602. The bridge is lined with arcades and features a wide central lane for caravans and beasts of burden as well as side passages for pedestrians.<ref name=":243562" /> Further downstream, the [[Khwaju bridge|Khwaju Bridge]] (1650) is one of the finest monuments of the reign of Abbas II. Like the Si-o-se-pol, it combines aesthetic effect with practical function, but it is more complex and represents the apex of Safavid bridge design. It has two levels, each with a wide central passage for caravans and side passages for pedestrians along its flanking arches. At the middle of the bridge is a wider viewing pavilion with an octagonal layout.<ref name=":243562" />{{Sfn|Hattstein|Delius|2011|pp=517–518}}
[[File:Vank Cathedral 06.jpg|thumb|Interior of the [[Vank Cathedral]] in Isfahan (18th century)]]
These bridges connect the city centre with the south bank of the Zayandeh River, where royal Safavid hunting grounds were once located. After 1604, a Christian [[Armenians|Armenian]] quarter, [[New Julfa]], was also created here. Some 30 or so churches were built in the area, of which 13 survive today, dating to the 17th and early 18th centuries.<ref name=":2435623" /> The churches imported [[Armenian architecture|Armenian features]] and combined them with the contemporary Safavid style,<ref name=":2435623" /> as exemplified by the [[Vank Cathedral]] (or Holy Saviour Cathedral), dating in its current form to around 1656.{{Sfn|Hattstein|Delius|2011|p=518}}