An exemplary city square
known as imam square, formerly known as shah square is a square situated at the center of Isfahan city, Iran. constructed between 1598 and 1629, it is now an important historical site, and one of UNESCO's world heritage sites. it is 160 The most important factors in designing Naqsh-e-Jahan Square can be grouped into two;
first one is focusing attention on the functions of the square and secondly is focusing on the physical factors such as scale and proportion in the spaces and buildings, the form of buildings, their colours and placements.
Economic, religious, political, and scientific activities of peoples can be affected by function so a good functional place can gather all activities in one area and effect on the dynamism of the square. This is the significant reason that square is filled with new and fresh activities for years.
In addition, proportion contributes to the attractiveness of the square by the height of the construction, considering the human scale and the main buildings’ height (Shah Mosque, Sheikh Lotfalah Mosque, Grand Bazaar, and Ali Qapou Palace).
While, the coordination of space provides an expansive space so that the sky is felt more than the earth by visitors that leads to increasing the sense of place. Variety of forms The combination of appropriate forms and their interrelationship provides a better and deeper appreciation of the square in the visitor.
Also, it creates variety in the skyline that keeps the observer engrossed. Effect of built forms’ colours of square Orange, azure, and a greenish hue of blue are the main colours used in the square. The dry and hot climate of city is the main reason of using azure and greenish hue of blue. The orange colour related to the climate of city and the azure colour correlates to the built environment and architectural features of Isfahan. The sense of dependency is excited by the warm colours and creates the part (square) and the whole (desert) connection. The placement of structures and the coordination The responses indicated that the visitors do not sense smallness.
The construction with the diversities and distance of the structures were considered to simplify the sense of proportion and coordination in human mind while watching the landscape. This influence on visitors’ eyes creates a memorable experience.
(520 ft) wide by 560 meters (1,840 ft) long (an area of 89,600 square meters (964,000 sq ft)). the square is surrounded by buildings from the safavid era. the shah mosque is situated on the south side of this square. on the west side is the ali qapu palace. sheikh lotf allah mosque is situated on the eastern side of this square and at the northern side keisaria gate opens into the Isfahan grand bazaar. today, namaaz-e jom'eh (the Muslim Friday prayer) is held in the shah mosque. The square is depicted on the reverse of the Iranian 20,000 rials banknote.
The Maidan was where the Shah and the people met.
Built as a two story row of shops, flanked by impressive architecture, and
eventually leading up to the northern end, where the Imperial Bazaar was
situated, the square was a busy arena of entertainment and business, exchanged
between people from all corners of the world. Every now and then the
square would be cleared off for public ceremonies and festivities. One such
occasion would be the annual event of Nowruz, the Persian New
Year. Also, the national Persian sport of polo could be played in the
maidan, providing the Shah,
residing in the Ali Qapu palace, and the busy shoppers with some entertainment.[9][10] The marble goal-posts, erected by
Shah Abbas, still stand at either end of the Maydan. Also, many
historians have wondered about the peculiar orientation of the maidān. Unlike most
buildings of importance, this square did not lie in alignment with Mecca,
so that when entering the entrance-portal of the Shah Mosque, one makes, almost
without realising it, the half-right turn which enables the main court within
to face Mecca. Donald Wilber gives the most plausible explanation to
this; the vision of Shaykh Bahai was for the mosque to be visible wherever in the maydān a person was
situated. Had the axis of the maydān coincided with the
axis of Mecca, the dome of the mosque would have been concealed from view by
the towering entrance-portal leading to it. By creating an angle between them,
the two parts of the building, the entrance-portal and the dome, are in perfect
view for everyone within the square to admire.
Masjed-e
Shah - The Pinnacle of Safavid Architecture
the Shah Mosque was constructed not only
with vision of grandeur, having the largest dome in the city, but Shaykh Bahai also planned the
construction of a religious school and a winter-mosque clamped at either side
of it
The Lotfollah
Mosque - The Private Room of the Shah's Harem
Of the four monuments that dominated the
perimeter of the Naqsh-e Jahan square, the Lotfollah Mosque, opposite the
palace, was the first to be built. The purpose of this mosque was for it to be
a private mosque of the royal court, unlike the Shah mosque|Masjed-e Shah, which was
meant for the public. For this reason, the
mosque does not have any minarets and is of a smaller size.
Ali Qapu Palace
Ali Qapu is in effect but a
pavilion that marks the entrance to the vast royal residential quarter of the
Safavid Isfahan which stretched from the Maidan Naqsh-i-Jahan to the Chahar Bagh Boulevard. It was here that the
great monarch used to entertain noble visitors, and foreign ambassadors. A large and massive
rectangular structure, the Ali Qapu is 48 m (157 ft) high and has six
floors, fronted with a wide terrace whose ceiling is inlaid and supported by
wooden columns.
On the sixth floor, the royal reception
and banquets were held. The largest rooms are found on this floor. The stucco
decoration of the banquet hall abounds in motif of various vessels and cups.
The Imperial Bazaar
The Bazaar of Isfahan is a historical
market and one of the oldest and largest bazaars of the Middle
East. Although the present structure dates back to the Safavid era, parts of it
are more than a thousand years old, dating back to the Seljuq dynasty. It is a
vaulted, two kilometer street linking the old city with the new
The criteria of selection of the Naqsh-e-Jahan Square as acase study are based on
the following: -
Location: The square is
situated in the center of Isfahan city and it has an important urban space role
from past to now.
-Square status: During decades it has been a
commercial area with high interactive social place. A place where many
residents gather for shopping and communicating as well as national and
religious ceremonies and a touristy place. The square has a strong sense of
history that is revealed by assortment anecdotes, social and individual
narratives relating to it and its ‘significant role in ceremonies and religious
customs. While locatingof the Shah (Imam) Mosque, Sheikh Lotfalah Mosque and Grand
Bazaar inside the square indicate that it has been a most important place of
people activities and an effective bonding of persons and their places from
past to now. These key features have important role in creating a sense of
place .
-- Proportion, scale and
capacity: The Naqsh-e-Jahan Square is a massive square enclosed by an extended
construction of shops’ rows and four wonderful monuments that are the Shah
(Imam) Mosque, Sheikh Lotfalah Mosque, Ali Qapou palace, and the
Grand Bazaar.
-Furthermore, the visitor does
not feel enclosed inside the square because of special proportions of the
square causes the ground to seem smaller in contrast to the sky and the sky
absorbs visitor more than the ground and promotes sense of place.
-Therefore, as a result of the
adjacency of skyline and ground; the square appears more extensive than it
actually is; like is felt on a beach or in a desert. With this minimal enclosed
space, the square will remain in the mind of visitors as a memorable place
The most important factors in designing
Naqsh-e-Jahan Square can be
grouped into two;
first one is focusing attention on the
functions of the square and secondly is focusing on the physical factors such
as scale and proportion in the spaces and buildings, the form of buildings,
their colors and placements.
Economic, religious, political, and scientific
activities of peoples can be affected by function so a good functional place
can gather all activities in one area and effect on the dynamism of the square.
This is the significant reason that square is filled with new and fresh
activities for years.
In addition, proportion contributes to
the attractiveness of the square by the height of the construction, considering
the human scale and the main buildings’ height (Shah Mosque, Sheikh Lotfalah Mosque, Grand
Bazaar, and Ali Qapou Palace).
While, the coordination of space
provides an expansive space so that the sky is felt more than the earth by
visitors that leads to increasing the sense of place. Variety of forms The
combination of appropriate forms and their interrelationship provides a better
and deeper appreciation of the square in the visitor.
Also, it creates variety in the skyline that
keeps the observer engrossed. Effect of built forms’ colors of square Orange,
azure, and a greenish hue of blue are the main colors used in the square. The
dry and hot climate of city is the main reason of using azure and greenish hue
of blue. The orange color related to the climate of city and the azure color correlates to the built environment and architectural features of Isfahan. The
sense of dependency is excited by the warm colors and creates the part
(square) and the whole (desert) connection. The placement of structures and the
coordination The responses indicated that the visitors do not sense smallness.
The construction with the diversities and
distance of the structures were considered to simplify the sense of proportion
and coordination in human mind while watching the landscape. This influence on
visitors’ eyes creates a memorable experience.
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