| Introduction | Location | Espahan trougth the ages | Espahan's main civilisational characteristics and religious sites | Bibliography |

Location

Espahan, or Esfahan in Farsi, is an Iranian city located in the south-east of the central province, practically in the middle of Iran. Renowned for its beauty and luxurious nature, it draws tourists who flock to this city throughout the year to admire its endless picturesque vistas. Historically, this city remained the capital of Iran for years under the rule of the Safavids. Growing steadily, it became one of the major cities during the reign of Shah Abbas the Great who elected it as his capital and seat. It is therefore not surprising that the city was for centuries known as Espahan Nesf-e jahân (Espahan is half the world).

Today, Espahan's population amounts to one million inhabitants and the city is one of Iran's richest both on a historical and architectural level. Thanks to its cultural and historical heritage and to its natural beauty, Iran is today a major tourism attraction. The country boasts a significant number of historical and archaeological sites and vestiges representative of the various historical eras that the country went through since the settling of man in the Iranian plateau. In addition to its historical buildings and religious and cultural monuments, the country offers a breathtaking landscape where the plains and coast blend with the mountains and desert. Iran is also distinguished by the striking contrasts the mark its climate and geography, often at very close distances. Thus, one can move -sometimes without a transition- from the aridity of the vast desert to a quasi-equatorial climate or to snow-covered-mountain tops, or from the northern coasts of the Caspian Sea to the breathtaking beauty of the Gulf with its lukewarm waters.

UNESCO classified Espahan, considered one of Iran's main tourism attractions, as part of World Heritage. Indeed, a great many Europeans tourists visit this city and the numerous palaces that stand witness to its heritage and glorious centuries-old past. Furthermore, the city has a myriad of stunning gardens of which the conception took many decades. Some of these gardens are 350 years old. Thanks to its fertile soil, Espahan is equally famous for its groves and agricultural lands. Factories, especially hydrous factories, abound in the city. Many bridges span the river crossing the city, such as the Allahverdi Khan bridge (known under the name of Si-o-Se pol or Thirty-Three Arches bridge), and the Khadju bridge around which people gather to enjoy the stunning view of the city.

Espahan is well known for its wide avenues and large squares. This city, the hometown of a number of engineers and scholars, is famous for its Iranian carpets that the Iranian family deems it a duty to preserve as if it were an object made of gold. The visitor to Espahan cannot miss the opportunity to amble along in the city's bazaar displaying its treasures of old archaeological objects as well as the handicrafts and industrial products that have made the reputation of the city.

Contribution of the city of Espahan to sciences:

Espahan played a crucial role in the history of Arab Islamic thought ever since its conquest during the caliphate of Omar Ibn Al Khattab in 19 or 23AH/year 640 or 644AD. It was one of the axes of the Islamic world's scientific and cultural movement, particularly under the reign of the Buyids (32IH/933¬447H/1055), then under the Seljuqid sultanate. Both dynasties encouraged scholars, men of letters and philosophers and by so doing played doing a part in boosting the intellectual movement. During the different periods of their reign, some of these intellectuals were the pride of the Islamic nation.

Espahan also boasts an infinite number of scholars in various fields of knowledge, namely in philosophy, literature, history, and philology. Once under the banner of Islam, turned Espahan turned into a jewel of Persian history as well as a civilisational centre where great erudite figures shone, such as Abu Mohamed Abdullah Ibn Hayyan Al-Asfahani, the vizier Jamal-Eddine al-Jawad Al-Asfahani, the writer Ahmed Eddine Al-Asfahani, the scholar Mohamed Ibn Bahr Al-Asfahani, the historians Ibn Hamza Ibn Al-Hussein Al-Asfahani and Al-Hussein Ibn Abdullah Al-Asfahani, as well as Abul Faraj Al-Asfahani, author of a famous poetry collection, and Mohamed Ibn Daoud Al-Asfahani.