Panoramic view of Naqsh-e Jahan Square

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In 1598, when Shah Abbas decided to move the capital of his empire from the north-western city of Qazvin to the central city of Isfahan, he initiated what would become one of the greatest programmes in Persian history; the complete remaking of the city. By choosing the central city of Isfahan, fertilized by the Zāyande roud ("The life-giving river"), lying as an oasis of intense cultivation in the midst of a vast area of arid landscape, he both distanced his capital from any future assaults by the Ottomans and the Uzbeks, and at the same time gained more control over the Persian Gulf, which had recently become an important trading route for the Dutch and British East India Companies. Taken @Esfahan, Iran

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Size: 4936px × 2823px
Location: Esfahan, Iran
Photo credit: © Tjetjep Rustandi / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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