Urban Development in Isfahan: from Shah ‘Abbas I to Shah ‘Abbas’ II Based on the Role of Zayandeh-Rud

Although an important city before the Safavid dynasty, Isfahan mostly owes its weight to the time when it was selected as the capital. This decision was made in the eleventh year of Shah ‘Abbas’ I (1588-1629 AD) reign for security reasons, after which extensive rehabilitation and development took place in the city. The interventions of Shah ‘Abbas I led the development of the city toward the south by crossing the Zayandeh-Rud via Chahar-Bagh street as the main axis, reaching ultimately to Mt. Soffeh. Studies on Safavid Isfahan are mostly limited to constructions during the reign of Shah ‘Abbas the Great. However, it seems that Safavid Isfahan was developed gradually also during the time following that of Shah ‘Abbas I with additional royal constructions in the dowlat-khaneh as well as along the Zayandeh-Rud front. The objective of this paper is to study the stages of development of the Safavid dowlat-khaneh in Isfahan after Shah ‘Abbas I with emphasis on the role of Zayandeh-Rud. In this paper, the urban development of Isfahan is studied from the time Shah ‘Abbas I selected it for his capital in 1598 AD to the end of Shah ‘Abbas’ II reign in 1666 AD, using a descriptive-historical method based on chronicles and documents. The results confirm the existence of a designed urban plan from the beginning of Shah ‘Abbas’ I era which was mostly realized in urban development toward the south during his reign. In the following eras, the limits of urban development expanded so that the riverfront became the ground for the construction of the new dowlat-khaneh. In other words, Zayandeh-Rud and the tendency of Shah ‘Abbas II to perform special ceremonies on its front changed the course of Safavid urban interventions in Isfahan.