Shah Abbas Moves Capital to Isfahan

1598

Shah Abbas I transferred the Safavid capital from Qazvin to Isfahan, a strategic move south away from Ottoman threats. He planned a new royal square, the Naqsh-e Jahan, ringed with tiled mosques, caravanserais, and a royal palace. Isfahan nesf-e jahan, Isfahan is half the world, the saying went. The Chahar Bagh boulevard, lined with gardens and reflecting pools, became one of the Islamic world's most celebrated urban spaces.