1602-1619

Shah Abbas I the Great

Width: 520 ft (158.5 m)

Length: 1675 ft (510.5 m)

Width to Length: 1 to 3.28

Height: approx. 45 ft

Height to Width: 1 to 11.5

Height to Length: 1 to 37.2

Imam Square (Naqsh-e Jahan Square)

Jacque  Robertson chose Imam Square (Naghsh-e Jahan Square) as his non-western favorite: “Once seen, it changes one’s view of public spaces and the sacred and profane buildings that front it.” The square is by far the largest picked, over four times the area encompassed by Place de Vosges in Paris. Shah Abbas I the Great began construction of the square in 1602, just three years prior to King Henri IV’s effort at the Place de Vosges.

Enclosure ratios are nearly

Imam Square (photo by Nicolas Hadjisavvas)

non existent, and there are no longer trees to solve that problem. However, from a functional point of view, the square had different goals. It provided a setting and linkage for two mosques and the royal palace, a place for parades and a “private” assembly spot for both the faithful and those who wished to visit the King.

Archeologists believe that around the perimeter of the square there was a water course one row of plane trees to provide shade for visitors. During certain days, the square would be filled with market stalls, and on other days turned into a polo field.

The eastern range hosts the Sheikh Lotfollah mosque which was designed by Mohammadreza Isfahani at the time of the square’s construction.