Chahar Bagh Avenue
Address: the main boulevard beside the Naqsh e Jahan Square complex, parallel to and west of Ostandari Street.
A beautiful, wide, tree lined boulevard that stretches from west of the Naqsh e Jahan Square down past the Isfahan Palace Complex, and onto the Si-o-Seh Pol, leading towards the Armenian Quarters of Jolfa to the south. It forms today the main pedestrian and vehicular artery within the city. The avenue serves as the datum to which all other streets in Isfahan line up – east and west, north and south, all roads lead to the Chahar Bagh.
The name literally means “four gardens” – a landscaping typology based on cruciform mandala plans, incorporating elements of the earth and the heavens, by the use of green spaces, a central water body, and bisecting pathways. The treatment of the boulevard itself conforms to this ideology – splendidly landscaped, with resting and sitting spaces, occasional water bodies, and public walkways, the Avenue presents a rich, interactive urban streetscape for the residents of the city.
A popular promenade for the residents, this street is often the site of public processions, temporary festivals, and, during the rest of the year, a pleasant, breezy thoroughfare. Winter turns the place into a snow-bedded playground, and autumn fills it up with crunching orange leaves. Spring brings in a burst of delightfully colorful local flowers, and in summers the avenue provides an ideal retreat to beat the heat through its charmingly designed sitting spaces. Whichever time of the year you visit Isfahan, a visit to the Chahar Bagh Avenue, especially on foot, is sure to satisfy the aesthetic enthusiast in you!
