[IRAN] Esfahan - Ali Qapu Palace

15:53 Travel Bunny 0 Comments

Ali Qapu Palace was first built in 1597 as a residence for Shah Abbas I. It is located on the western side of Imam Khomeini Square, just opposite to Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque. It was originally a four-storey building with a veranda. Shah Abbas II expanded the palace and a music hall was constructed on the top of palace.

[IRAN] Esfahan – Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque & Shah Mosque

16:22 Travel Bunny 0 Comments

Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque on the eastern side of Imam Khomeini Square, was built during the Shah Abas time and dedicated to his father in-law, Sheikh Lotfollah. Sheikh Lotfollah was a preacher and teacher who came from Lebanon to Esfahan at the orders of Shah Abas. Another prominent building is the Shah Mosque on the south side of the Imam Khomeini Square. The Shah Mosque is even depicted on the reverse of Iranian 20,000 rials banknote.

[IRAN] Esfahan – Imam Khomeini Square

23:20 Travel Bunny 0 Comments

Esfahan is one of the oldest city in Iran. This 2,500 years old city served as Persia’s capital from 1598 to 1722. Imam Khomeini Square is a public square, one of the largest in the Middle East, located at the center of Esfahan city. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The square is surrounded by buildings from the Safavid era.

[IRAN] Naqsh-e Rustam

15:59 Travel Bunny 0 Comments

Naqsh-e Rustam ,“Carved Representations of Rostam”, is one of the most important archeological sites in Iran and contains monuments of the Achaemenid and Sasanian dynasties. Many of the rock carvings show triumphant Iranian horseman and were attributed to the Iranian National Hero Rostam. The Persian Achaemenids built a fortified wall in front of the cliff, and erected a stone tower and prepared elaborate rock-cut tombs for Darius the Great and his successors: Xerxes, Artaxerxes and Darius II. From A.D. 224, the Sasanians who claimed Achaemenid heritage, chose the site as a national shrine, and carved there rock relief, inscriptions and tombs.