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ISFAHAN ix. THE PAHLAVI PERIOD AND THE POST-REVOLUTION ERA The Pahlavi period saw the development of a modern nation-state, rapid urbanization and population growth, establishment of a modern system of national education, and a stronger state-directed economic policy. These all had some repercussions in the province of Isfahan, but most…

ISFAHAN x. MONUMENTS In the course of centuries of urbanization, Isfahan has gained a large number of significant monuments. According to the French traveler Jean Chardin, in the late 17th century Isfahan housed some 162 mosques, 48 theological colleges (madrasa), 1,802 caravansaries, and 273 bathhouses (see ḤAMMĀM; see Chardin, VII,…

ISFAHAN x. Monuments x(1). A Historical Survey Isfahan’s monuments developed during three major periods in the Islamic era: first, the early medieval period under the ʿAbbāsid Caliphate and Buyid patronage; second, under the Saljuqs; and, finally, under Shah ʿAbbās I and his successors. THE ʿABBĀSID AND BUYID PERIODS The architectural…

ISFAHAN x. Monuments x(2). Palaces None of the royal palaces and pavilions of Isfahan built prior to the 17th century are extant. In contrast, of all the monuments of Isfahan, Safavid palaces represent the most coherent group of buildings to have survived from a single period (Galdieri, 1974). Seventeenth-century palaces…

ISFAHAN x x(3). Mosques Isfahan is known historically for its large number of mosques. According to Abu Noʿaym of Isfahan (I, p. 17), the first large mosque in Isfahan was built by a client (mawlā) of ʿOmar b. al-Ḵaṭṭāb during the Caliphate of Imam ʿAli b. Abi Ṭāleb (r. 656-61)….

ISFAHAN x. Monuments x(4). Madrasas In the pre-modern context, madrasas served as colleges for the teaching of Islamic law with ancillary focus on other Islamic sciences. Madrasa, as an architectural type designated specifically for the use of religious learning, did not come into practical use until the 10th century, when…

ISFAHAN x. Monuments x(5). Bridges On the southern edge of the city of Isfahan lies the Zāyandarud River, the un-navigable river that has been the major source of water in the region since the earliest settlements in its environs. Until the transfer of the Safavid capital to Isfahan in the…

ISFAHAN x. Monuments (6) Bibliography  

ISFAHAN xi. SCHOOL OF PAINTING AND CALLIGRAPHY The “Isfahan” school of painting and calligraphy generally refers to works of art associated with the city of Isfahan from about 1597-98, when the city was chosen as the Safavid capital, until the Afghan invasion of 1722. The term was originally coined in…

ISFAHAN xii. BAZAAR: PLAN AND FUNCTION The bazaar (see BĀZĀR) of Isfahan is one of the best-preserved examples of the kind of large, enclosed, and covered bazaar complex that was typical of most cities in the Muslim world prior to the 20th century. The oldest areas of the present-day bazaar…

ISFAHAN xiii. CRAFTS Isfahan has maintained its position as a major center for traditional crafts in Persia. The crafts of Isfahan encompass textiles, carpets, metalwork, woodwork, ceramics, painting, and inlay works of various kind. The work is carried out in different settings including small industrial and bazaar workshops, in the…

ISFAHAN xiv. MODERN ECONOMY AND INDUSTRIES This sub-section is divided into the following parts: (1) Modern Economy of the Province. (2) Industries of Isfahan City.

ISFAHAN xiv. MODERN ECONOMY AND INDUSTRIES (1) Modern Economy of the Province On the whole Isfahan is an average province within Persia in terms of general economic indices: in the year 2000 the province contained 6.5 percent of the population of the nation, 6.3 percent of its GDP, 6.5 percent…

ISFAHAN xiv. Modern Economy And Industries (2) Industries of Isfahan City The stagnation experienced after the fall of the Safavids was even more marked in the 19th century owing to European competition that had rendered many local industries such as textiles and the manufacture of arms and weapons practically extinct,…

ISFAHAN xv. EDUCATION AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS (1) Education. (2) Cultural Affairs. (1) Education   Foreign schools. The presence of European educators in Isfahan dates as far back as the reign of Shah Abbas I, when the Carmelites (q.v.) were permitted to open a school for the education of the children…