부산대학교 도서관

[Maydān-i shāh](Isfahan) An enormous open space fringed by architectural monuments (see fig.), this royal square was laid out by ‛Abbas I between 1590 and 1602 in Isfahan, Iran. Lying to the south-east of the old city, it is an elongated rectangle (c. 525×159 m in its final stages) edged by a continuous double order of piers decorated with polychrome glazed tiles. The long modular façades are broken only by the monumental entranceways to four buildings (see fig.): the Shah Mosque on the south, the mosque of Shaykh Lutfallah on the east, the portal to the bazaar on the north and the ‛Ali Qapu Palace to the west. The creation of the maidan was part of the transformation of the city into the new capital of the Safavid empire and was designed to encourage urban development south towards the Zaindeh River. The square represents an early example of a multi-functional space. A stone channel ran around its perimeter at a short distance from the arcade and separated the space for walking from the central area, which was originally unpaved and covered with gravel. The covered walkway and the outer arcades acted as a bazaar. The great central space generally housed the temporary stalls of merchants, craftsmen, barbers and entertainers but was often cleared for military parades, drill by the shah’s personal militia, archery contests and polo matches. For a few years the square also housed a curious horological mechanism with moving figures built for the amusement of the young ruler ‛Abbas II (...