Heaven on Earth
Trip Start
Jul 09, 2008
1
6
9
Trip End
Aug 03, 2008
Esfahan,
Iran
Monday, July 28, 2008
Esfahan is an ancient city, but it really flourished in the 17th century under Shah Abbas the Great, who made it the capital of the Safavid dynasty. One of the most stunning parts of the city is the Naqsh-e-Jahan Square or the Shah Square. Known to be the second largest square in the world, next to Tiananmen (but easily surpassing the Chinese square in beauty), it includes the gorgeous Jameh Mosque, the Sheik Loft Allah Mosque, the Ali Qapu palace and a majestic entry into the Esfahan bazaar. In the centre of the square, horse-drawn carriages trot around blue fountains and expanses of green grass and trees. The gracious domes of the Jameh Mosque are illuminated and the mountains behind it glow in the morning sun. At dusk, thousands of lights shine upon the blue and green facades of the mosques, and the gushing fountains of water look like thousands of diamonds spurting to the sky.
In all honesty, Esfahan is the only human-made place that has had the same affect on me as some of the natural wonders I have seen in this world. Entering the Jameh Mosque, I was rendered breathless for the first time since I watched the northern lights dance above the trees of Killarney four years ago. Although I had seen photographs, this is a wonder that no photograph can do justice to. Nothing compares to standing beneath the centre dome, your heart racing in awe as you try to fixate on the millions of intricate tiles that seamlessly weave together into tapestries of flowers, Qu'ranic verses in exquisite calligraphy, and patterns of colour. The dome is really a luscious medley of curves, arches, and gracefully ornate windows that invite the sun's light to dance playfully on the blue-green walls. Doves flutter in the vaults, the flapping of their wings echoing sharply in the otherwise silent expanse. In fact, it is a waste of my time to even try to articulate the beauty of this place; it is one of the most exquisite things I have ever seen. As a non-Muslim, I would think that the best I can do is to say that it is a testament to the faith and devotion of the hundreds or thousands of people employed in creating this work of art. Typically mosques are meant to be beautiful but not so much as to distract the people from prayer. Often, elements are deliberately left incomplete in order to draw attention to the fact that only Allah is perfect. But this place is as close to heaven, as much of an expression of devotion, and as near to complete perfection as there must be on earth.
The other mosque in the square is smaller but equally beautiful. It was built for the Shah himself, as he was not to worship or pray in front of the people. Entering the Sheik Loft Allah mosque, you walk through a mosaic-laden corridor that twists through arches to open out to the prayer hall facing Mecca. The prayer hall is small but again covered in ornate tile work and streams of gentle light.
The bazaar in Esfahan is the best in Iran - for a tourist, that is. Tehran's bazaar is massive, and the bazaars in smaller towns and cities are functional and lend insight into the daily life and routine of ordinary Iranians. But Esfahan's is a shopper's paradise; carpet shops, ceramics, stone jewellery, silks, traditional block printing cloth, copperware, spices and baked goods fill the shady world of the bazaar. Running from the Esfahan Jameh (Conglomerate) Mosque four kilometres in various directions, it empties into the Naqsh- e-Jahan Square. When the heat or the shopping gets to you, you can climb the steep cement steps to a rooftop tea house, drink chay and eat pastries, rest your feet, and look out over the entire square.
The Esfahan Jameh Mosque is also an amazing site. In fact, it is one of the oldest mosques in Iran, and also a perfectly condensed representation of Iranian architecture through the ages. Some of the mosque originates from the 8th century, and these dark, pillared halls culminate in what must have been an engineering feat for that era; a brick dome established with pure geometry. By cutting the corners on the square hall to form an octagon, then successively cutting corners on the octagonal shape to create 16 sides, then 32 sides, the architects created a circular base on which to rest the dome, which still stands 12 centuries later! Because parts of the mosque burnt down in the 11th century, it has been continuously remodelled throughout various centuries to create the microcosm of history that it currently is.
In Esfahan, the people are insanely friendly. In fact it is hard to get much done because you are constantly approached by Iranian families and English students alike, desperate to talk to someone foreign, or to invite you home to dinner. It's not like other places (like China), where supposed English students come under the guise of wanting to practice their English, but really just want to lure you into some art sale or similar venture. In Esfahan, they really are just English students or curious families, wanting to talk to someone from another country. I'd imagine it would be very difficult to learn English in Iran. Cut off from the English speaking world, even media, movies, television and books are hard come by - unless you're rich. Without exception, they all want to know what we think of Iranians. When we tell them - in all honesty - that they are the friendliest people we have ever encountered, they are deeply honoured. They know how the Western media portrays Iran, and many of them are both truly bemused that we would venture to their land regardless, and determined that we hear another side of the story, which we most certainly have. It is a wonder what the American propaganda machine and the media have done to the reputation of this incredibly hospitable, gentle and friendly nation. I am sure I will be following up on this in days to come.
Now, what e-tale would be complete without some food descriptions? Everyone will tell you that the best restaurant in Esfahan is Shahrzad. So, we went there not once, but twice. A beautiful restaurant, it is decorated in mirrors, tiles and sculpted plaster, and contains a solarium with lush potted plants in its centre. The food matches it in beauty; after 7 days of chicken kebab and rice for lunch and dinner, I finally sank my fork into an exquisite plate of fesenjan - a dish made with chicken (or sometimes lamb or duck) stewed in a sauce of crushed walnuts and pomegranates, served over rice with saffron and barberries. It was so good, it drew us back again the next night, and this time we ordered sabzi rice - a heap of basmati rice cooked with dill, other herbs and fava beans, which Michael had with lamb. Dessert was traditional Iranian ice cream, which is saffron ice cream - the only ice cream to challenge my love of Kawartha Dairy's triple chocolate ice cream. I owe Shahrzad for giving me a much needed break from kebab and rice. And as an aside, for a restaurant that is considered the finest in town, our entire feast's bill set us back a mere $14.00.
We are now preparing to leave Esfahan behind (I wish we had an entire week here) en route to another UNESCO world heritage site - Abyaneh Village - one of the best preserved mud and clay villages in Iran. Interestingly, it is located just a short distance from Natanz, which you might recognize as the site of Iran's current nuclear "energy enrichment program" or purported bomb-building facilities if you buy into the war-mongering rhetoric.
