☰Hakim Mosque

The Hakim Mosque stands deep in the Grand Bazaar, surrounded by craft workshops and covered alleys — which makes it one of the more rewarding things to stumble upon in Isfahan. Built in the 1650s by the Safavid court physician Hakim Mohammad Davoud (hence the name), it was constructed over the ruins of a much earlier mosque from the Buyid period, and fragments of the original eleventh-century stucco decoration are still visible in the entrance portal. The interior courtyard is a place of daily prayer and remarkable calm, given its location within one of the busiest markets in Iran. Less visited than the monuments on Naqsh-e Jahan Square, it shows how the Safavid city extended its monumental ambitions throughout the entire urban fabric, not just the showpiece square.