Esfahan might have acquired a negative ring to those who listen to US reports on Iranian nuclear programme. I spotted a few soldiers on guard as our train buzzed towards the city – freezing in the desert dawn and trying to keep awake and warm, probably thinking of the little joy of breakfast – only because I had a similar fate a few years ago (similar guns, similar boredom). But Esfahan itself is quite another story. With its tree lined avenues, green parks along the river crisscrossed by old bridges where people go for a promenade or relax over a cup of tea, it boasts itself with the second largest square in the world, beautiful mosques and a bazaar where you can wonder without being harassed by the sellers and vendors. Since it is an ancient trading city, it looked like a good place to buy a kilim. Some pics:
- inside Imam mosque
- by the bridge
- buying kilims
- street sign.
