☰Naqsh-e Jahan Square

One of the largest public squares in the world and the centrepiece of Safavid Isfahan, Naqsh-e Jahan — "Image of the World" — was laid out by Shah Abbas I around 1600. The square is framed by four great monuments: the Imam Mosque to the south, the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque to the east, the Ali Qapu Palace to the west, and the Qeysarieh Portal opening into the bazaar to the north. In the evenings, Isfahan families fill the square to walk, picnic on the grass, and ride horse-drawn carriages. The entire square is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.