Half the world

Around the Square

Kim’s mum, Fiona, rang and woke us up. She had got the time wrong by an hour and rang too early as a result.

We decided to look for alternative hotel. We didn’t have to go far, in fact, just across the road to Persia Hotel. We got a room with a bathroom at double the price. We ate breakfast in their three-day old hotel restaurant. While very nice, they were also inexperienced and took forever to make tea and toast!

We returned to the Amir Kabir to shift. After settling in, we guided ourselves through Esfahan using our guide book’s recommended walking tour guide. The sights around the area are so beautiful and numerous that Shah Abbas in 1587 declared that it was half the world. We went to:

• Hakim Mosque
• Bazar-e Bozorg
• Madraseh Nimirvand
• Jameh Mosque
• Imam Square (or Naqsh-e Jahan Square or Shah Square)

The expanse of the Square was just amazing. And there were various architectural gems flanking different sides of the square. We went up Ali Qapu Palace. While it was nice, it wasn’t as amazing as Hamid (from the airport yesterday) had made out. It did offer wonderful views of Square and also the Lotfallah Mosque straight across and the Imam Mosque (or Shah Mosque) at the south end.  The facade of the Imam Mosque was stunning and so was the interior in terms of the fine tile-work.

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Bridges

The weather was stinking hot and we caught a taxi back to the hotel for a rest.  When the weather cooled a little, we took a taxi to the Khaju Bridge, supposedly the nicest. There were many people sitting on the downstream side of the bridge, some dipping their toes into the water.

We then took another taxi to Si-o-she Bridge, which was more than the double the length Khaju. There were some cafes on the side and also in the arches under the bridge. The ambience was just lovely.

For dinner, we wanted to try somewhere a little more special. We checked out the nearby Kowsar Hotel but they only the coffee shop was open. We ate fast food in the form of a burger and hot dog nearby instead. All that plus two rockmelon slushies and a pistachio pastry cost less than NZD4!

We lingered near the Si-o-she Bridge for it to light up for the evening. Once we had absorbed enough of the beautiful scene, we walked to the Abbasi Hotel to have tea in its garden courtyard. The Abbasi is one of the most beautiful hotels in the Middle East with a history dating back 400 years as a caravanserai. There’s very little information on how old the current buildings are but they look like something from the 1960s but in very tasteful historic style.

The large glass of tea cost NZD0.60 amidst heavenly surroundings of the garden set in the courtyard of a caravanserai, with fountains and classical Persian music piped softly through hidden speakers.

Tea was served with a crispy sugar wafer which can be used for sweetening the tea or eaten as a snack I guess. We checked out the restaurant menu in anticipation of dining there tomorrow night.

We took a taxi back to our hotel but due to a misunderstanding the driver took us to the main square. It wasn’t a big deal and we paid him for the extra distance. It gave us a chance to see the heart of the city by night. Surprisingly the main attractions of the square weren’t particularly well-lit. While there were some people there, it didn’t seem like a happening place.

In contrast, the main shopping drag was bustling with cars and pedestrians. Shops were all it up. It felt like Bangkok!