Isfahan
City in
Iran
Isfahan, historically also rendered in English as Ispahan, Sepahan,
Esfahan or Hispahan, is the capital of Isfahan Province in Iran, located about
340 kilometres south of Tehran. At the 2011 census, it had a population of
1,756,126 and its built-up area was home to 2,391,738 inhabitants including
Khomeynishahr, Shahinshahr, Khvorasgan, Dorcheh Piaz, Falavarjan, Kelishad Va
Sudarjan, Abrisham, Kushk and Kharizsang cities. The Greater Isfahan Region had
a population of 3,793,104 in the 2011 Census, the second most populous
metropolitan area in Iran after Tehran. The counties of Isfahan, Borkhar,
Najafabad, Khomeynishahr, Shahinshahr, Mobarakeh, Falavarjan, Tiran o Karvan,
Lenjan and Jay all constitute the metropolitan city of Isfahan. Isfahan is
located on the main north–south and east–west routes crossing Iran, and was
once one of the largest cities in the world. It flourished from 1050 to 1722,
particularly in the 16th and 17th centuries under the Safavid dynasty, when it
became the capital of Persia for the second time in its history. Even today,
the city retains much of its past glory.