Isfahan
Isfahan is an ancient city in central Iran, with strategic roles already from the period of great empires such as the Achimenes 550 BC, the Parthians and the Sassanids. This city is the capital of the province of Isfahan, it is the third largest and most populated city with about two million inhabitants of Iran after Tehran and Mashhad.
The city grew in the period of the Safavid dynasty between 1050 and 1722 AD, especially in the 16th century, when it becomes the capital of Iran for the third time (after the Alebuid and 1st Seljuk eras). Even today, the city enjoys having much of its past glory. Isfahan having the important historical past, so there are many historical buildings, many of which have been registered as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The handicraft variety of Esfahan is the first ever in Iran.
This city is famous for having beautiful Islamic architecture and many beautiful avenues which is known as the Father of New Urbanism Architecture: multi-functional bridges, palaces, mosques and unique minarets. For these reasons, Iranians call it "Half of the World".
In December 2015, Isfahan together with Rasht for the first time are part of the Creative Cities of the World network under the supervision of UNESCO. According to UNESCO standards, a creative city is a city that uses citizens' innovation and skills in sustainable urban development. Naqsh Jahan Square is one of the largest squares in the world and is an outstanding example of Islamic architecture which has been registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The motto of the city of Isfahan is "Isfahan forever, for all".
The important event in Isfahan:
When Cyrus the Great freed Babylon from the tyranny of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon and rescued the Jews from prison, some of them returned to Palestine and others came to Iran and settled in this area. Ibn Faqih Hamdani, a 10th century AD Iranian historian, writes:
When the Jews emigrated from Jerusalem and fled from Nebuchadnezzar, they took with them some of Jerusalem's soil and water. They did not settle anywhere without first examining its soil and water. They continued to do so until they reached the city of Isfahan. They rested there and tested its soil and water and found it similar to Jerusalem. When they settled there, they started planting land and gave birth to their children and grandchildren and today the name of this region is Judea. This story has been repeated by other historians.
And one of the oldest Jewish cemeteries exists in the vicinity of the present city of Isfahan which in the period before the R.I. Jews from all over the world came on pilgrimage.
