all along the main arteries of the bazaar you find khans, mosques, and auxiliary spaces.
I don't know the age of this one, except that the extraordinary lightness of its vaults suggests a comparatively new date, post 1700.
the lanterns above the domes limit the direct sunlight yet allow ventilation. along with a shallow pool below, they make up a simple climate control or even air conditioning called a bad-gir (and not a bad girl, as I first misread it).
the bad-girs or wind catchers are much more developed and monumental in desert towns like yazd - and while the desert is all around isfahan, the river and nearby mountains help stabilize temperatures somewhat and the bad-girs here are discreet.
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the herringbone bond of the masonry domes gives the structure an almost woven quality.
this is in the northernmost, poorer part of the long bazaar. the bazaar consists of several covered streets, the longest of which connects imam square with the friday mosque 1½ winding kilometers away.
we perceive indoor and outdoor distances very differently - 20 meters is nothing on the outside but is only found in large interior spaces - now imagine walking straight away for half an hour in the same room...
sadly, the bazaar was cut in two by a new main street around 1960 separating the friday mosque from the rest.
there is a western commonplace that the shah sent into exile by the islamic revolution had tried to modernize iran too quickly. but his decisions weren't rash, they were wrong. as seen here: flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=1572660054&size=l
a closer look at this photo will reveal the oculi shown here to be different: one round, one octogonal, and one star shaped. this is typical of the isfahan bazaar, relating it to the friday mosque with its highly differentiated vault designs.
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imam khomeini square, isfahan
Tags: isfahan esfahan iran persia architecture arkitektur bazaar bazar souq souk market islamic muslim persian iranian building gebäude haus gebouw bouw bygning batiment maison edificio huis casa
tea and a purring cat on a tray = the good life
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