[IRAN] Esfahan – Imam Khomeini Square

23:20 Travel Bunny 0 Comments

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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.


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The map of Imam Khomeini Square and its surrounding buildings.


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This square is home to a trio of Esfahan’s most popular sites, including the lavishly decorated Ali Qapu Palace, Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque and Shah Mosque.


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Sheik Lotfollah Mosque is situated on the eastern side of this square.


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Shah Mosque is situated on the south side of this square.


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Ali Qapu Palace is on the west side of the square.


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While the northern side opens into Esfahan Grand Bazaar.


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The square is rectangular in shape and has changed little since it was built.


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The only modern addition are the fountains, which were added by the Pahlavis, and the souvenir shops.


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Strolling around the square after visiting the three famous buildings at the square.


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The souvenir shops which occupies the space on either side of the arched arcades is a great place to shop for souvenirs.


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I bought an unique Persian chess set at one of the souvenir shops.


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They even sell souvenirs made from camel bone.


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There are many shops too, a little further away from the square.


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My tour guide led us to one of the carpet shops to shop for some Persian carpets.


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Buying a Persian carpet to bring home is a good idea since the Persian carpet is famous worldwide.


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This unique carpet actually looks different when you turn it.


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This is how the same carpet looks like when my hubby holds it on the other end.


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After some aggressive bargaining, I settled for a medium size Persian carpet here which costs USD600. Two thumbs up.


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You can also buy small rugs if you don’t want to carry home big and heavy carpets.


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If you want to purchase carpets in Iran, Esfahan is the right place to go. Esfahan carpets are known for their high quality carpets.


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My son enjoying his time at the carpet shop.


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There are plenty carpets and rugs in every design and sizes to choose from, except for flying carpet, haha.


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Back to Imam Khomeini Square in late afternoon. There are many horse carriages waiting for customers at the square if you are interested for a ride around the square.


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The architecture of the square are all illuminated in the evening.


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Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque.


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Shah Mosque looks equally grand at night. In the next posting, I’ll write about these two beautiful mosques in detail. Stay tune.

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