Isphahan - City of Iran

Esfahan or Isfahan is the capital of Esfahan Province and Iran's third largest city.he second most populous metropolitan area in Iran after Tehran.

Esfahan is located on the main north-south and east-west routes crossing Iran, and was once one of the largest cities in the world. It flourished from 1050 to 1722, particularly in the 16th century under the Safavid dynasty, when it became the capital of Persia for the second time in its history. Even today, the city retains much of its past glory. It is famous for its Islamic architecture, with many beautiful boulevards, covered bridges, palaces, mosques, and minarets. This led to the Persian proverb Esfahan nesf-e jahan ast: "Esfahan is half of the world".

Ancient Esfahan was part of the Elamite empire. Under the name of Aspandana it became one of the principal towns of the Median dynasty, when Iranian Medes settled there. Subsequently the province became part of the Achaemenid Empire and after the liberation of Iran from Macedonian occupation by the Arsacids, it became part of Parthian Empire. Esfahan was the centre and capital city of a large province, which was administered by Arsacid governors. In the Sassanid era, Esfahan was governed by "Espoohrans" or the members of seven noble Iranian families who had important royal positions, and served as the residence of these noble families as well. Moreover, in this period Esfahan was a military centre with strong fortifications. There were large populations of Jews and Christians concentrated around Esfahan at this time. The city was occupied by Arabs after the final defeat of Iranians.

Today Esfahan, the third largest city in Iran, produces fine carpets, textiles, steel, and handicrafts. Esfahan also has nuclear experimental reactors as well as facilities for producing nuclear fuel . Esfahan has one of the largest steel producing facilities in the entire region, as well as facilities for producing special alloys.

At Esfahan uranium is converted into uranium hexafluoride , which in its gaseous form is spun at high speed in the centrifuges to extract the fissile isotope. Esfahan is Iran's only domestic source of UF6. According to IAEA Iran is building hardened bunkers under Esfahan to protect UF6 production.

The city enjoys a temperate climate and regular seasons. No geological obstacles exist within 90 km north of Esfahan, allowing cool northern winds to blow from this direction.

The architecture of Esfahan is made up of eight traditional forms which taken together form the foundation in the same way that music was once based on a finite number of notes. These are modulated by the use of colors and textures to leaven the surfaces and are held together in an overall construction akin to that of a sonata in which connection leads to culmination through a transition space. To appreciate the skill of the architects and designers fully, it is necessary to have an appreciation of these fundamental concepts i.e. garden, platform, porch, gateway, dome, arched chamber, and minaret, although in the geometry and architecture of the buildings they are woven together to present a seamless whole. A full discussion of the underlying principles can be found in the paper entitled "The Alchemy of the Mosque", given to a joint meeting of the School of Architecture and the Islamic Society of the University of Manchester in 1997.

Aside from the seminaries and religious schools, the major universities of the Esfahan metropolitan area are:

Universities
Islamic Azad University Of Khomeini Shahr
Islamic Azad University, Majlesi Branch
Isfahan University of Medical Sciences
Isfahan University of Technology
University of Isfahan
Isfahan University of Art
High schools
Harati High School
Adab High School
There are also more than 50 Technical and Vocational Training Centers under administration of Esfahan TVTO which provide non-formal training programs freely over the province.