Located on the Zayandeh River about 338 km south of Tehran, the city of Esfehan has a long and distinquished history extending back to ancient times. First the Arabs and then the Turks made it a capital. In the 13^th  century, Esfahan passed into Mongol hands. It was not until the 16^th century that the city was reclaimed for Iran by one of the country's greatest rulers, Shah Abbas the Great, who transformed it into a splendid capital.

Today Esfahan is an international heritage site protected by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The city is also Iran's most visited tourist attraction.

Shah Abbas spared no effort to adorn his capital with elegant bridges, elaborate mosques, stately religious colleges, and other architectural wonders.

At the heart of Esfehan is the Royal Square, or Image of the World. It is one of the largest town squares in the world. At one end stands the Royal Mosque, ornamented with five hundred types of intricate blue and gold tiles. At the opposite end of the square lies a huge bazaar, packed with Esfehan's famous craftsmen, plying their trades and wares. The Sublime Door, at which Shah Abbas received foreign dignitaries, adonrs the western side of the square. From the balcony of this structure, the shah and his guests would watch royal polo games in the square.

Esfehan's tourist attractions include the Shaking Minarets, two slender towers built over a tomb just outside the city. When a person leans hard on one minaret, the other starts to sway gently-a fascinating architectural quirk!