Si o Seh Pol

Address: 33 Pol, intersection of the Chahar Bagh Avenue with the river crossing.
The bridge is strategically located where the Chahar Bagh, the main vehicular artery through Isfahan, crosses over the Zayandeh River. It was commissioned in 1599 by Allah Wardi Khan, a general in Shah Abbas I’s army.

The bridge was built to serve the purpose of transport as well as act as a water reservoir, a function that it still performs today. The bridge had separate walking lanes for animals and carts in the center, and for pedestrians on the sides – from here people can also access arcaded terraces that overlook the fast-flowing Zayandeh.

There used to be teahouses at the northern and southern end of the bridge, popular spots for cultural activity and general leisure time for Isfahani men. Only the one at the north end is functional today.

Visit during the late dusk or evening hours as the sun sets, and watch, over a cup of steaming tea, as the city starts to light up like small incandescent specks on a dark fabric.

The bridge is 300 meters long, and links the city center to the Armenian quarters of Jolfa to the south.