From the historian's notes

Isfahan, 1650

Iran · Middle East · April 1650 · spring

What it was medium

one of the largest cities in the world, several hundred thousand peoplean ancient city on the Zayandeh river; the Safavid capital since 1598

That year

• The Shah retakes Kandahar from the Mughals 1649 higha victory still being toasted
• A new bridge with a weir and two storeys of arcades goes up across the Zayandeh river around 1650 medium-higha bridge that is also a dam
• The Dutch and English East India companies keep houses here to buy silk; their letters go home by the Gulf ports and the Cape these years highsilk going west

Who held it medium-high

the Safavid shahs of IranShah Abbas IIAbbas II took Kandahar back from the Mughals in 1649 and is building: the Chehel Sotun pavilion is new and a bridge-dam is going up on the river

Its name high

Esfahan (اصفهان)Written in Persian, in Perso-Arabic script

The date, there high

1060 AHthe Islamic lunar calendar (hijri); Nowruz marks the solar new year in MarchThe drums and long horns of the band house above the bazaar gate at sunset; the calls to prayer.

Money medium

the silver abbasifour shahi to the abbasi; copper pul for small changea cup of coffee for a few copper pul

Weather medium-high

April: mild days and cool nights, the river full of snowmelt, plane trees and gardens in new leaf

Things

Objectssilk carpets; blue-and-white ceramics in the Chinese manner; illustrated books; coffee cupsFoodsaffron rice (polow); kebabs; sherbets cooled with snow; pistachios and dried fruitClothsilk brocade; block-printed cottonGetting abouthorses and mules; camel caravans to the Gulf; on footIn the airrosewater; coffee; saffron; horses on the square

What she'd hear

Persian in the bazaar and at court; Turkic in the army; Armenian in New Julfa; Dutch, English and French among the companies.

Where she could stand

• the royal square — a vast open square of beaten sand for markets, parades and polo, with stone goalposts at either end and two-storey arcades all round
• the bazaar gate — the royal bazaar's portal, with a gallery above where drummers and horn players play at sunset
• the Chahar Bagh — a long avenue of plane trees, water channels and garden pavilions
• the new bridge — a two-storey arcaded bridge-dam on the river
• the royal mosque — the tiled portal of the Shah's mosque on the square

Researched for this card · confidence high