Esfahan

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No one should leave Iran without a visit to Esfahan. I took the bus in the evening and since it's only six hour from Tehran to Esfahan I arrived in the middle of the night. Everything was very quiet and the streets were empty. After walking the silent city a bit I found a soup corner that was open all night, the owner was friendly, he gave me a tea and some bread for free. Together with the leftover cheese from the mountain that was almost a nice breakfast.
When the sun finally came up I found a good backpacker hotel. Cheap, a courtyard with some plants in the center, and an Australian who told me how to play backgammon. Here I also met a German who had been studying psychology in Marburg, Germany. How small the world can be...

Later I explored the city. There are many beautiful buildings in Esfahan. Most famous are the Mosques at Khomeni Square and the brigdes over the river. So Esfahan is a real sightseeing place. Many Iranians come here for that purpose, too. You also find lots of art shops, selling carpets, miniature paintings, and silver smith work.
In the evening I walked down to the river to have a look at all the bridges. The most famous one has 33 arces giving it the name Si-o-Se Bridge, si-o-se meaning thirty and three.

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Photos

Khomeni Square
The famous square at the center of Esfahan was used for playing polo some centuries ago.

Ceeling of the Women's Mosque
The Women's Mosque is covered with beautifully brown an blue painted tilings all over it's inside and outside.

Aladdin's World
In the bazar area next to Khomeni Square you can get lost very easy. Just to find yourself in some enchanted courtyard looking like in the world of Aladdin.

Bridge with Teahouse
Inside some of the bridges there have been build teahouses.

Si-O-Se Bridge
In the evening the Esfahanians like to stroll along the river and over the bridges. The older bridges are for pedestrians only. This is the famous bridge with the 33 arces. Next to the first arce there is also a teahouse build in.