Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque in the context of "Safavid art"

The Naqsh-e Jahan Square (Persian: میدان نقش جهان, romanized: Maidān-e Naqsh-e Jahān, lit. 'Image of the World Square'), also known as the Shah Square (میدان شاه) prior to 1979, and sometimes known as the Imam Square, is a square situated at the center of Isfahan, Iran. Constructed between 1598 and 1629, it is now an important historical site, and one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. It is 160 metres (520 ft) wide by 560 metres (1,840 ft) long – an area of 89,600 square metres (964,000 sq ft). The square is surrounded by buildings from the Safavid era. The Shah Mosque is situated on the south side of this square. On the west side is the Ali Qapu Palace. Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque is situated on the eastern side of this square and at the northern side Qeysarie Gate opens into the Isfahan Grand Bazaar. Today, Namaaz-e Jom'eh (the Muslim Friday prayer) is held in the Shah Mosque.

The square is depicted on the reverse of the Iranian 20,000 rials banknote. Stores are owned by trust of Ostandari Isfahan.

In some forms of Islamic art, aniconism (the avoidance of images of sentient beings) stems in part from the prohibition of idolatry and in part from the belief that the creation of living forms is God's prerogative.

The Quran itself does not prohibit visual representation of any living being. The hadith collection of Sahih Bukhari explicitly prohibits the making of images of living beings, challenging painters who "breathe life" into their images and threatening them with punishment on the Day of Judgment. Muslims have interpreted these prohibitions in different ways in different times and places. Religious Islamic art has been typically characterized by the absence of figures and extensive use of calligraphic, geometric and abstract floral patterns.

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.