Wednesday, 13 January 2016 - 11:00 am (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination: Gulf States / Golfstaaten Category/Kategorie: GeneralReading Time: 8minutes
Isfahan is the capital of Isfahan Province in Iran, located about 340 kilometres (211 miles) south of Tehran. It has a population of 1,760,000 and is Iran’s third largest city after Tehran and Mashhad. The Greater Isfahan Region had a population of 3,800,000 in the 2011 Census, the third most populous metropolitan area in Iran after Tehran and Mashhad. Isfahan is located on the main north–south and east–west routes crossing Iran, and was once one of the largest cities in the world. It flourished from 1050 to 1722, particularly in the 16th century under the Safavid dynasty, when it became the capital of Persia for the second time in its history.
Even today, the city retains much of its past glory. It is famous for its Persian–Islamic architecture, with many beautiful boulevards, covered bridges, palaces, mosques, and minarets. This led to the Persian proverb “Esfahān nesf-e- jahān ast” (“Isfahan is half of the world”). The Naghsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan is one of the largest city squares in the world and an outstanding example of Iranian and Islamic architecture. It has been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The city also has a wide variety of historic monuments and is known for the paintings, history and architecture. During the Middle Ages the city was called al-Yahūdiyya (“The Jewish Quarter”) called, which the Jewish settlement was called. Even today Isfahan hosts the largest Jewish community outside Israel in the Middle East.
Today Isfahan, the third largest city in Iran, produces fine carpets, textiles, steel, and handicrafts. Isfahan also has nuclear experimental reactors as well as facilities for producing nuclear fuel (UCF). Isfahan has one of the largest steel-producing facilities in the entire region, as well as facilities for producing special alloys. The city has an international airport and is in the final stages of constructing its first Metro line. Isfahan is an important historical center for different groups of tourists in the domestic and international world. The central historical area in Isfahan is called Si-o-seh pol (the name of a famous bridge).
Over 2000 companies work in the area using Isfahan’s economic, cultural, and social potentials. Isfahan contains a major oil refinery and a large airforce base. HESA, Iran’s most advanced aircraft manufacturing plant (where the IR.AN-140 aircraft is made), is located nearby. Isfahan is also becoming an attraction for international investments, like investments in Isfahan City Center, which is the largest shopping mall in Iran and the largest shopping mall with a museum in the world and has the largest indoor amusement park in the middle-east.
