Isfahan or Eşfahān ( historically also rendered as Ispahan, Old Persian Aspadana, Middle Persian Spahān​), located about 340 km south of Tehran, is the capital of Isfahan Province and Iran's third largest city (after Tehran and Mashhad ).
The Naghsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan has been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The city also contains a wide variety of Islamic architectural sites ranging from the 11th century to the 19th.
Eşfahān's golden age began in 1598 when Abbas I, shah of Iran, made it the national capital. Under his patronage the city attained the peak of its growth, commercial prosperity, and architectural splendor. Invading Afghans captured Eşfahān in 1722, and the seat of the Iranian government was removed to Shīrāz.
The city is geographically located at 32°38′N 51°29′E, in the lush Zayandeh Rud plain, at the foothills of the Zagros mountain range. The city enjoys a temperate climate and regular seasons. It is situated at 1590 meters above sea level. It receives an average of 355 mm of rain per year, making it similar to Denver, Colorado in terms of altitude and precipitation. The temperature ranges between 2 and 28 degrees Celsius.
Isfahan 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 becomes 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 proverb: "Esfahan is half of the world".