Naqsh-e Jahan Square: Space, Architecture, and Chronology

Abstract

In the late sixteenth century, Isfahan was transformed into the new capital of Safavid State, acquiring many new urban spaces and monuments with construction activities patronized by the members of the court and dynasty. Among these new urban spaces was Naqsh-e Jahan Square, designed under Shah Abbas’ patronage as the new commercial, religious, and social-ceremonial center of the capital. Located to the south of Harun Velayet Square, the commercial, religious, and social-ceremonial center of Isfahan before the seventeenth century, Naqsh-e Jahan Square is a large rectangular space surrounded by monuments with diverse functions. It is enveloped by a covered bazaar consisting of two rows of double-storeyed shops. On its four sides are different monumental buildings, all built by Shah Abbas. Qaysariyyah Bazaar is located on the northern edge, Ali Qapu Palace on the west, Sheikh Lutfullah Mosque on the east, and Shah Mosque on the south. Built in two stages, the square and the monuments around it took approximately forty years to complete. This article discusses the spatial configuration, architectural elements, and construction chronology of Naqsh-e Jahan Square in light of secondary sources, observations made at the site, Safavid chronicles, and Western travelogues. It has been argued that Naqsh-e Jahan Square was shaped under the influence of the religious, commercial, and political agenda of Shah Abbas. Its main claim is that the shah’s political, military, spiritual authority and patronage of Twelver Shi’ism and trade are represented in the square through architecture, inscriptions, and murals.