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Rang

Half the world, in turquoise

Isfahan

Safavid mosques around a vast square are covered inside and out with turquoise and deep blue tiles.

This is a photo of a monument in Iran identified by the ID
Photo: Pedram forouzanfar, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Why Isfahan is persian turquoise

Isfahan became the capital of Safavid Persia in 1598 under Shah Abbas I. A Persian saying calls it half the world. Its centre is Naqsh-e Jahan Square, one of the largest city squares anywhere. On the south side stands the Shah Mosque, built in the early 17th century, with a turquoise dome and walls of tile in blue, turquoise, yellow, white and black. To finish it faster, builders used haft-rangi tiles, on which seven colours are painted on one square and fired together. The smaller Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque has a cream dome that seems to change tint through the day. The blue is often read as the sky brought down to earth.

Persian turquoise#1FA3A8Persian blue#1C39BBTile yellow#E3B23CBrick buff#C9A982Cream dome#E9D9B5

Values are fair approximations of what the eye sees there, not measurements.

Colours tied to Isfahan

Persian blueA vivid blue inspired by Persian tiles and lapis lazuliTurquoiseA blue-green colour named after a prized mineral long used for gems and decoration
About this page

Written by the Rang desk with AI assistance. Background: "Isfahan" on Wikipedia. If you know Isfahan and we have it wrong, tell us.

More colour cities

All colour cities
🇮🇷 The mud-brick desert cityYazdAn earth-coloured city of domes and wind towers in central Iran, with one tall gateway of blue tile.🇮🇷 The village carved in grey conesKandovanA village in north-west Iran where homes are hollowed out of pale cone-shaped rocks of volcanic ash.🇮🇷 City of the Pink MosqueShirazA mosque tiled in pink roses, where morning sun through coloured glass paints the carpets.🇮🇳 City of painted temple towersMaduraiThe towers of the Meenakshi temple carry thousands of painted figures; jasmine sellers add white below.🇺🇿 City of blue domesSamarkandRibbed turquoise domes and tiled gateways in every shade of blue rise over an old Silk Road capital.🇺🇿 Mud walls and a turquoise towerKhivaA walled desert town where a short, fat minaret wrapped in blue-green tile stands over clay-coloured lanes.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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