The name of Isfahan evokes a memory of ancient Persian greatness-curvy buildings, intricately decorated with gold and turquoise tiles, scents of spices and perfume, poets and beautiful women.
The city lies at the foot of the Zagros mountains, by the Zayandeh river. Isfahan's history goes back a long way. It started out as a provincial capital under the Sassanides, then conquered by the Muslims in 640. Later the Mongols arrived and slew about 200,000 of its people in revenge for daring to resist them. The golden age of the city started when Abbas the Great made it his capital in 1598. The previous capital of the Safavids, Tabriz, was too close to the enemy Ottoman empire for his liking, and central Isfahan near the great trade routes was the perfect choice for a new one. He restructured the city and opened his court to foreigners, so that Isfahan became a legend of splendour even far away. Shah Abbas I built a royal palace as well as the Imam (Shah) Mosque. He also had many caravanserais constructed, a main street lined with trees, and a central square which was said to be the largest in the world. After hundred years of glory, the city went into a bit of a decline, and after an 18th-century invasion by the Afghans (1722), the capital was moved away to Shiraz.
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