Naqsh-e Jahan Square in the context of "World Heritage Sites"

Isfahan or Esfahan (Persian: اصفهان [esfæˈhɒːn] ) is a city in the Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located 440 kilometres (270 miles) south of Tehran. The city has a population of approximately 2,237,990, making it the fourth-most populous city in Iran, after Tehran, Mashhad and Karaj, and the second-largest metropolitan area.

Isfahan is located at the intersection of the two principal routes that traverse Iran, north–south and east–west. Isfahan flourished between the 9th and 18th centuries. Under the Safavid Empire, Isfahan became the capital of Iran, for the second time in its history, under Abbas the Great. It is known for its Persian–Muslim architecture, grand boulevards, covered bridges, palaces, tiled mosques, and minarets. Isfahan also has many historical buildings, monuments, paintings, and artifacts. The fame of Isfahan led to the Persian proverb Esfahān nesf-e-jahān ast ('Isfahan is half the world'). Naqsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan is one of the largest city squares in the world, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Shah Mosque (Persian: مسجد شاه, lit. 'Masjed-e Shah'), also officially known as the Imam Mosque or Imam Khomeini Mosque, is a mosque located on the south side of Naqsh-e Jahan Square in Esfahan, in the province of Isfahan, Iran. Its construction began in 1611, during the Safavid Empire under the order of Abbas the Great, and was completed c. 1630.

It is regarded as one of the masterpieces of Persian architecture in the Islamic era. The mosque is registered, along with the Naghsh-e Jahan Square and other surrounding structures, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was added to the Iran National Heritage List on 6 January 1932, administered by the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran. The mosque is depicted on the reverse of the Iranian 20,000 rials banknote.

Isfahan or Esfahan (Persian: اصفهان [esfæˈhɒːn] ) is a city in the Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located 440 kilometres (270 miles) south of Tehran. The city has a population of approximately 2,238,000, making it the fourth-most populous city in Iran, after Tehran, Mashhad and Karaj, and the second-largest metropolitan area.

Isfahan is located at the intersection of the two principal routes that traverse Iran, north–south and east–west. Isfahan flourished between the 9th and 18th centuries. Under the Safavid Empire, Isfahan became the capital of Iran, for the second time in its history, under Abbas the Great. It is known for its Persian–Muslim architecture, grand boulevards, covered bridges, palaces, tiled mosques, and minarets. Isfahan also has many historical buildings, monuments, paintings, and artifacts. The fame of Isfahan led to the Persian proverb Esfahān nesf-e-jahān ast ('Isfahan is half the world'). Naqsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan is one of the largest city squares in the world, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Ali Qapu (Persian: عالی‌قاپو, romanized: ‘Ālī Qāpū, lit. 'Grand Gate') is an imperial palace in Isfahan, Iran. It is located on the western side of Naqsh-e Jahan Square, opposite to Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, and had originally been designed as a vast portal entrance to the grand palace which stretched from the square to Chaharbagh Boulevard. UNESCO inscribed the Palace and the Square as a World Heritage Site due to their cultural and historical importance.

The palace is forty-eight meters high and there are six floors, each accessible by a difficult spiral staircase. In the sixth floor, Music Hall, deep circular niches are found in the walls, having not only aesthetic value, but also acoustic. Ali Qapu is regarded as the best example of Safavid architecture and a symbol of Iran's Islamic heritage.

The Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque (Persian: مسجد شیخ لطف الله, romanized: Masjed-e Shaykh Lotfollah;) is a Shi'ite mosque, located on the eastern side of Naqsh-e Jahan Square, Isfahan, Iran. Construction of the mosque started in 1011 AH (1602/1603 CE) and was finished in 1028 AH (1618/1619CE). It is one of the masterpieces of Iranian architecture from the Safavid era. It was designed by the chief architect Muhammad Reza during the reign of Shah Abbas the Great. On the advice of Arthur Upham Pope, Reza Shah Pahlavi had the mosque restored in the 1920s.

The Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, completed in the Safavid style, is one of the most important architectural projects built on Isfahan's maidan, prominent for its location, scale, design, and ornamentation. The mosque is registered, along with the Naghsh-e Jahan Square and other surrounding structures, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site; and was added to the Iran National Heritage List on 6 January 1932, administered by the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran.

The Grand Bazaar (Persian: بازار بزرگ, transliterated: Bāzār-e Bozorg) is a market located in Isfahan, Iran, also known as the Qeysarriyeh Bazaar (بازار قيصريه), Qeysarie bazaar or Soltani bazaar.

The bazaar was one of the greatest and most luxurious trading centers during the Safavid era. It was built in 1620 on the northern side of Naqsh-e Jahan Square. It connects the Naqsh-e Jahan Square to the Kohneh Square and the Seljuk part of Isfahan.

Safavid art is the art of the Iranian Safavid dynasty from 1501 to 1722, encompassing Iran and parts of the Caucasus and Central Asia. It was a high point for Persian miniatures, architecture and also included ceramics, metal, glass, and gardens. The arts of the Safavid period show a far more unitary development than in any other period of Iranian art. The Safavid Empire was one of the most significant ruling dynasties of Iran. They ruled one of the greatest Persian empires since the Muslim conquest of Persia, and with this, the empire produced numerous artistic accomplishments.