Si-o-Seh Pol (Bridge of 33 Arches)
This is probably the most famous of Isfahan’s bridges. It is made up of a series of 33 arches and was commissioned in 1602 AD by Shah Abbas I to one of his army generals.
According to Isfahan.org website, the name Si-o-Seh Pol is derived from the Farsi for 33 (Si-o-Seh or thirty three). The bridge is built on a series of pontoons of great width and there is a famous tea-house amongst them which is accessible from the southern bank.
The bridge was originally known as the Bridge of Allahverdi Khan who was the army general responsible for its construction. The lower level of 33 arches is surmounted by a second layer, with one arch above each of the pontoons and two arches above the lower single arch, giving it its name and rhythmic appearance.
The road along the top is sandwiched between high walls which give some shelter from the wind as well as protection for travelers who can walk along the footpaths on either side to avoid the crush of the traffic. The bridge itself is 295m long and 13.75m wide. The thirty four piers on which it is constructed are 3.49m thick and the arches are 5.57m wide.
The southern side of the bridge, where the waters of the Zayandehrood River run more swiftly has supplementary arches, and it is for this reason that they are suitable for tea house. The bridge acted as a springboard for the development of the Khajou Bridge some 50 years later.
Khajou Bridge
This bridge was built between 1642 AD and 1667 AD under Shah Abbas II. It takes its name from the district of Khajou on the northern bank of the Zayandehrood River, which it connects with the South. It derives its inspiration from Si-o-Seh Pol, being built in two layers, however it expands and enhances many of the features of the older bridge. The bridge is some 110 meters long and a little over 2 meters wide for most of its course.
The eastern side of the bridge has a high sill which collects the water, raising it by some two meters. This provides a basin from which irrigation water for the surrounding area is drawn off in a series of channels. On the western side there are steps over and between which the water pours and on which people collect to do their laundry or just to talk. From the lower section of the bridge which consists of some 20 arches, stairs lead to the spacious second storey where a series of niches has been cut for people to collect and meet. An octagonal pavilion is set in the center of the bridge which now houses an art gallery.
Because the water streams of the Zayandehrood River have been slowed down at this point, partly by the bridge of Si-o-Seh Pol and also by an aqueduct, the Pol-e-Jubi, which crosses the river upstream of this bridge, it has been possible to emphasize elegance of design rather than structural necessity. American Archeologist, Arthur Upham Pope in his monumental Survey of Persian Art wrote about Si-o-Seh Pol as follows:
“Efficient, luxurious, poetical, this bridge is a typical product of the Iranian imagination, and proof that Persia was capable of sound and original architecture long after degeneration had begun in other countries.“

The renovation of ’Khajeh Ghaltan’ Mausoleum which is located in Sistan region has started, head of Zabol Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism said.
Alireza Khosravi told IRNA that in the first phase of reconstruction of ’Khajeh Ghaltan’ dredging of dilapidated sections of the building, fa�ade repair-work and plasterwork of the interior of mausoleum will be completed.
“The second phase of reconstruction of mausoleum which is situated on Khajeh Sistan Mountain will be renovated within 20 days with a 20- million-rial budget,“ he added.
’Khajeh Ghaltan’ mausoleum is the most important praying site of Zabol that is visited by a large number of pilgrims, tourists and enthusiasts of historical sites every year. This building is located at the highest peak of Khajeh Mountain and in the northeastern side of the mountain.
A large tomb measuring three meters can be seen inside the mausoleum that has been attributed to brother of ’Danial the Prophet’ in the famous book titled ’Ehya Al-Moluk’ by Shahossein Sistani.
Zabol is a city in the province Sistan -Baluchestan, on the border with both Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Zabol area is famous for its “120 day wind“, a highly persistent dust storm in the summer which blows from north to south.
The hero of Zabol is Rostam, an epic figure of Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh.

The mausoleum of Oljeitu Khodabandeh, known as the Soltaniyeh Dome is a 700-year-old brick structure located near Iran’s western province of Zanjan.
According to Press TV, the Ilkhanid structure, built by Sultan Mohammad Oljeitu between 1302 and 1312 BC, is an outstanding example of Persian and Islamic architecture.
Soltaniyeh Dome, which was the world’s tallest building of its time, currently ranks third after Italy’s Saint Mary Church in Florence and Turkey’s Aya Sofia Mosque in Istanbul.
With its octagonal base and beautiful tile-work, the 54-meter-tall Dome towers above many of the fascinating historical sites in Iran.
The building is composed of three parts: mausoleum, dome chamber and vault.
The dome chamber is decorated with Islamic inscriptions and beautiful muqarnas.
Unique Kufic and Thuluth inscriptions, and exquisite arabesque decorations adorn the mausoleum located above the vault where the king’s body was laid to rest and two guards protected the gilded royal tombstone at all times.
Although passage of time has left dilapidated the building of mausoleum, the interior has retained its superb mosaics, faience and murals.
Stunning brick patterns and beautiful hexagon tiles decorated the dome’s interior, which was later covered up with plaster, colorful inscriptions and floral patterns.
Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization is currently in charge of the 200-ton dome’s restoration project in which experts are using azure tiles made in traditional kilns to refurbish the exterior.
The dome’s double-shell structure, built of two parallel and completely separate brick layers connected with buttresses, gives it a unique quality turning it into one of the world’s most significant architectural examples, inspiring many other Muslim cupola constructions such as the Taj Mahal in Agra, India.
The celebrated Italian architect Filippo Brunelleschi is said to have been inspired by the Soltaniyeh Dome when designing the dome of the Santa Maria Del Fiore Cathedral in Florence.
Soltaniyeh Dome was registered on UNESCO’s World Heritage list in 2006 after Naqsh-e Jahan square, Persepolis, the Chogha Zanbil Ziggurat, Takht-e Soleyman, Pasargad, and the Bam Citadel.

’Gandom Berian’ is the name of a mound in an area of 480 square kilometers that is full of volcanic sediments.
The hill is considered as the warmest spot on earth where temperature reaches 67 degrees Celsius even in the shades.
According to Persian-language daily Iran newspaper, ’Gandom Berian’ or ’Burnt Sand’ is located 80 kilometers to the north of Shahdad city in Lut desert.
Since this place does not have a specific road it is very difficult to reach there.
The mound should be introduced in a better way to people. Weather conditions in this spot of the earth is tolerable from the end of October until end of March. It is only during this time that one can think of traveling to ’Gandom Berian’.
Iranian geologist, Mohammad Hossein Behjati, said that reckoning the exact date of stones and the mound itself need more scrutiny.