☰New Julfa

New Julfa is the Armenian Christian district of Isfahan, established by Shah Abbas I in 1604 when he forcibly resettled the Armenian population of Julfa (in present-day Azerbaijan) to his capital. The relocation was partly humanitarian — to protect skilled craftsmen and merchants from Ottoman raiding — and partly strategic: the Armenians were valuable intermediaries in Iran's silk trade with Europe. The neighbourhood south of the Zayandeh River grew into a prosperous enclave with its own churches, schools, and printing press. Today it retains a distinct character: the streets are quieter than the bazaar quarter, there are cafes and restaurants that feel different in atmosphere from the rest of the city, and a dozen churches survive in various states of repair. Vank Cathedral, the grandest of them, is the essential stop — but wandering the residential streets and finding the smaller churches is rewarding in itself.