Pol-e Khaju: Isfahan’s Most Useful Bridge

On a warm evening, the lower gallery of Pol-e Khaju is doing several things at once. Families have spread out on the stone steps. University students are working through homework. An old man is playing a stringed instrument in one of the alcoves, not performing exactly, just playing. Someone else has set up a portable speaker. The tea rooms built into the bridge piers are doing modest business. This is not a tourist attraction running at tourist speed; it is a park that happens to be a bridge, doing what the city needs it to do.

There is a tradition of gathering at Isfahan’s bridges to sing – those with convincing voices attract sizeable crowds in the evening under the arches. The bridge is as much a social institution as a piece of infrastructure, and this is particularly true at night.

The Bridge

Pol-e Khaju was built around 1650 under Shah Abbas II on the foundations of an older structure. It crosses the Zayandeh River in central Isfahan, connecting the Armenian quarter of New Julfa on the southern bank with the rest of the city. The bridge is 130 metres long and 12 metres wide, with 24 arches on the upper deck and a lower gallery of cafes and tea rooms built into the piers. The hydraulic system beneath includes sluice gates that controlled the river level and created reflecting pools upstream. The Safavid dynasty understood that infrastructure could also be architecture.

Legend holds that the eyes of the marble lions guarding either end of the bridge glow in the dark. The pavilion in the centre is where Shah Abbas II would sit to admire the view.

The Si-o-Seh Pol (Bridge of 33 Arches) about 2 km upstream gets more tourist attention – it is longer and more famous – but Pol-e Khaju is more architecturally sophisticated and more socially alive. Free to visit, open 24 hours.

What Else to See in Isfahan

Naqsh-e Jahan Square (Imam Square) is the second largest plaza in the world after Tiananmen. Dating to 1598 under Shah Abbas I, it is surrounded by the Royal Mosque (whose tilework took 27 years to complete after the building itself was finished), the Ali Qapu Palace, the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, and the Imperial Bazaar.

Chehel Sotun Palace has 20 columns that reflect in the pool to create the illusion of 40 – hence the name, Forty Columns. The interior frescoes depict Safavid royal court scenes with real compositional skill.

The Jame Mosque (Masjed-e Jame) is an entirely different building from the Royal Mosque on the square, and frequently confused with it. Construction began in the 8th century; the building is architecturally more layered, showing styles from a thousand years of building and rebuilding. Less polished, more interesting to anyone who cares about how buildings accumulate history. Most visitors skip it for the grander sites.

Eating

Bastani’s on Chahar Bagh Abbas Boulevard does saffron ice cream sandwiched in a crispy wafer – one of those things that sounds odd until you taste it. Azadegan Tea House on the ground floor of the Grand Bazaar is an actual functioning tea house where men play backgammon under low ceilings and old photographs. Both exist for residents rather than tourists, which is exactly why you should go.

Getting There

Isfahan has its own airport with domestic flights from Tehran (around 1 hour). The VIP bus from Tehran’s South Terminal takes about 5 hours and is comfortable. The central sections of the city are walkable; taxis are cheap for longer distances.

A full day gets you the square, both mosques, the palace, the bazaar, and the bridge at sunset. Two days lets you explore without rushing.