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Published: April 27th 2007
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Looking forward to visiting the Bazaar at Naqsh-i-Jahan square (literally meaning, 'Half of the World' in regards to its glory back in its Safavid days), the old ladies squealed in glee.
Their way to shop at exotic markets, to put it simply, is as follows:
- Find an item you just KNOW Mrs. Suzuki will be so jealous of, and can never obtain to rival you.
- Push away everyone in any queue in front of you (including locals, fellow-countrymen, tourists)
- Make sure the seller is a Man. Your charming japanese charms will definitely work in your advantage. If not, he is obviously blind.
- Ignorantly never even try speaking the local dialect. Everyone around the world understands Japanese, of course. If not, it still doesnt matter.
- Talk down prices while throwing in a gazillion more items that will make your entire 'hood green with envy. The more, the better. You have to get souvenirs for everyone you know. Everyone, even your husband's cousin's boss' daughter. You live in an archipelago. this is what happens.
- You've got a price after much cute 'awwww-ing' and pretty smiles, along with the occasional appearance of your fold-out exotic fan.
The seller doesnt go any lower.
- You say Arigatou, wait for the seller to wrap up your goods as you take photos. Grab more new stuff, point at them to the seller...then when handed your purchases, walk away with all of it despite the desperate protests of the seller. Just smile and politely do your best 'Princess Masako' wave. BYE-BYE!😉
NB. Ah, but you always must remember to do a bit more when everyone gets back before dinner:
- ASK all the bitches who DIDN'T have the courtesy to accompany you during the shopping trip about what they bought.
- If it sounds interesting, grab their shopping bags and inspect everything.
- Found an item to your liking? Ask how much it was, and where the store was.
- Throw everything back at your colleague, then run to that specific store.
- Repeat steps above.
Naqsh-i-Jahan Square, also known as Imam Square, is the world's seventh largest 'Public Square'. It boasts much from fountain pools to grand mosques and the famous Ali Qapu Palace from the Safavid Era.
In 2006, I came across an image of the Music Hall (Ali Qapu Palace) in a course comparing
the World of Islam and the West. The walls of the room are famous for these wine-vessel and musical instrument-shaped indentations to retain echoes, and allow all sounds to remain clear and strong. Climbing up six storeys of stairs, a tad tough for all of us short-legged little oriental women, it was definitely a great reward to see the room with your own eyes. The Hall was so ornately decorated in such a generous fashion, that along with its high ceiling, the mythical realm seemed endless. It was difficult to tell apart which room ended where, or better yet where the walls actually were. 'Islamic' architecture expresses one of its differences from western architecture here as the architectural elements work together as one, and impossible to take apart any individual part of it.
Shah Abbas' architectural feat did look a little bare after its years, but alas, the remnants of the decoration were astonishing. All steps in the stairwells kept their vibrant blue and yellow floral tiles, the walls with their frescoes of legendary figures and contemporary scenes - but most of all, was the balcony overlooking the magnificent square...especially on such a sunny day as this!
Here,
View of the famous Square
from the main balcony of Ali Qapu palace one could look down upon a 180 degree panoramic view of the square below, with a straight-on greeting to the Sheikh lotf Allah Mosque in front of it. The Blue tiles dominated every angle of the view challenging the colours of the natural sky. Nor could the colours dull you into a monotonous drone, for the lively shades of golds, bolder navies and whites would never remain unnoticed. However you stared out into the distance, the colours worked as one, to offer a captivating and dramatic engagement to any of its visitors. Holler baaaack~
IMAM MOSQUE, its grand entrance marked with two soaring Minarets and its huge geometrically patterned dome obviously stole the limelight in the square. however, the building itself is at an 45 degree slant in order to direct its visitors towards Mecca. Shah Abbas commissioned for it, and took 25 years to be completed until 1616. Its central courtyard is surrounded by massive pointed half-domes, ready to swallow you up easily. No wall was left undecorated, and the thousands of tiles featuring verses from the Koran (in simple Kufic style) marked the square borders of all four gateways facing the yard. Blue geometric patterns twisted
Sheikh Lotf Allah Mosque
Marking its territory at one side of the Square and turned everywhere upto the tip of the minarets, leaving you in heavenly awe. Although Christian frescoes from European churches are a marvel to inspect, there is a great powerful effect that these patterns express to the eyes too. All the interior patterns swarmed at me.
SHEIK LOTF ALLAH MOSQUE, the second mosque located at the side of the Square, was created for the women of the palace. Long ago, there was an underground passage way between those two places.
Smaller than the Imam mosque, however delicately decorated to rival it. Its size was no disappointment, for clever artistic devices were employed in its interior beauty. Such an example was the inner display of its dome above the prayer hall. Tear shaped motifs acted as a counterpart to the western coffers, almost, leading to a central geometric circle pattern. This, however, was not to give a visual illusion that the dome is larger than it really is. Rather, it is a portrayal of rain falling from the sky, with drops of water seeming to become larger as they fall closer to the ground. An opposite effect to such coffered ceilings as that of the Pantheon in
33 Arch Bridge
one of the Safavid masterpieces still used today in the city Rome.
The BAZAAR (stalls around the Square and in the tunnel network), where Kaori and I branched off from the ladies and searched for treasures. A 90-minute shopping spree went by quickly, where we purchased Qalam-zani (metalwork decorated in rich Isfahan shades of Persian blues) - lovely tea-sets and exotic vessels.
I also found some jolly framed paintings from copies of the Koran and the Shahnameh. Perhaps due to the small number of tourists, the sellers seemed a tad nervous but sweet enough that one did not worry about being overcharged.
And as night fell, we bid farewell to old Esfahan, and proceeded on to take some night photos of the famous Safavid bridges lit up in illuminated glory.
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Kate Hildebrand
Kate Hildebrand
me again
just looking through the rest of your Iran blogs- awesome pics! I'd love to go there someday.