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Coordinates: 32°38′12″N 51°41′0″E / 32.63667°N 51.68333°E / 32.63667; 51.68333
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{{Short description|Bridge in Isfahan, Iran}}
{{Infobox bridge
{{Infobox bridge
|bridge_name = Khaju Bridge
|bridge_name = Khaju Bridge
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|begin =
|begin =
|complete = 1650
|complete = 1650
|coordinates = {{coord|32.6368|N|51.6833|E|region:IR-04_type:landmark_source:dewiki|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates = {{WikidataCoord|display=it}}
|mapframe_zoom = 15
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The '''Khaju Bridge''' ({{lang-fa|پل خواجو}}, {{transl|fa|Pol-e Xāju}}) is one of the historical [[bridge]]s on the [[Zayanderud]], the largest river of the [[Iranian Plateau]], in [[Isfahan]], [[Iran]]. Serving as both a bridge and a [[weir]], it links the Khaju quarter on the north bank with the [[Zoroastrianism|Zoroastrian]] quarter across the Zayanderud. It also served a primary function as a building<ref>{{cite book |title=Developments in Structural Form |first=Rowland J. |last=Mainstone |publisher=Architectural Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7fpSAAAAMAAJ |year=1998 |page=261}}</ref> and a place for public meetings.<ref name="andrew"/> It has been described as the city's finest bridge.<ref name="andrew">{{cite book |title=Iran |first1=Andrew |last1=Burke |first2=Mark |last2=Elliot |publisher=Lonely Planet |year=2008 |page=243 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gEca_4iSNCUC}}</ref> The other names of Khaju Bridge are: Shah Bridge, Baba Roknoddin, Hasan Abad, Shahi and Shiraz.The reason for naming this bridge is that it is located in Khaju neighborhood of Isfahan. It should also be noted that Khaju is a distortion of the word eunuch (Khajeh), which is due to respect for the eunuches of the Safavid era. Khaju Bridge is built at the end of Kamal Ismail Street in Isfahan.<ref>Isfahan book(Lotfollah Honarfar)</ref>
The '''Khaju Bridge''' ({{langx|fa|پل خواجو}}, {{transliteration|fa|Pol-e Xāju}}) is one of the historical [[bridge]]s on the [[Zayanderud]], the largest river of the [[Iranian Plateau]], in [[Isfahan]], [[Iran]]. Serving as both a bridge and a [[weir]], it links the Khaju quarter on the north bank with the [[Zoroastrianism|Zoroastrian]] quarter across the Zayanderud. It is located at the end of Kamal Ismail Street in Isfahan.<ref>Isfahan book (Lotfollah Honarfar), 1977, pocket books company, page 98</ref>

The mausoleum of [[Arthur Upham Pope|Arthur Pope]] and his wife Phyllis Ackerman is situated nearby.
The bridge served a primary function as a building and a place for public meetings in the past.<ref>{{cite book |title=Developments in Structural Form |first=Rowland J. |last=Mainstone |publisher=Architectural Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7fpSAAAAMAAJ |year=1998 |page=261}}</ref><ref name="andrew"/> It has been described as the city's finest bridge.<ref name="andrew">{{cite book |title=Iran |first1=Andrew |last1=Burke |first2=Mark |last2=Elliot |publisher=Lonely Planet |year=2008 |page=243 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gEca_4iSNCUC}}</ref>

Persian art historians and revivalists, [[Arthur Upham Pope]] and [[Phyllis Ackerman]] are interred in a mausoleum nearby.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Erdbrink|first=Thomas|date=2014-04-14|title=American’s Wish for Iranian Burial Riles Hard-Liners|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/14/world/middleeast/americans-wish-for-iranian-burial-riles-hard-liners.html|access-date=2021-09-10|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>


==History==
==History==
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In words of [[Arthur Upham Pope|Arthur Pope]] and [[Jean Chardin]], Khaju is "the culminating monument of Persian bridge architecture and one of the most interesting bridges extant ... where the whole has rhythm and dignity and combines in the happiest consistency, utility, beauty, and recreation."<ref>{{cite book |title=A Journey to Persia: Jean Chardin's portrait of a seventeenth-century empire |author=Sir John Chardin, Ronald W. Ferrier |publisher=I.B.Tauris |year=1996 |pages=149 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5CLkDgmVs1QC}}</ref>
In words of [[Arthur Upham Pope|Arthur Pope]] and [[Jean Chardin]], Khaju is "the culminating monument of Persian bridge architecture and one of the most interesting bridges extant ... where the whole has rhythm and dignity and combines in the happiest consistency, utility, beauty, and recreation."<ref>{{cite book |title=A Journey to Persia: Jean Chardin's portrait of a seventeenth-century empire |author=Sir John Chardin, Ronald W. Ferrier |publisher=I.B.Tauris |year=1996 |pages=149 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5CLkDgmVs1QC}}</ref>
The poets of Isfahan wrote beautiful poems on the Khajoo bridge and in these poems they praised its beauties. Among these poems is the long poem by Saeb Tabrizi which describes one of the days of celebration and illumination next to this bridge. According to historians and scholars who have studied the Safavid dynasty, Shah Abbas II's goal in building the Khajoo Bridge was to connect the two districts of Khajoo and the Hassanabad Gate with Takht-e Folad and Shiraz Road. Tourists who came to Isfahan at different times praised the beauty of the Khajoo Bridge and considered it one of the eternal masterpieces of Iranian and Islamic architecture.<ref>Isfahan website, 2021</ref>


==Structure==
==Structure==
The bridge has 23 arches, and is 133 meters long and 12 meters wide. It was originally decorated with [[tile art|tilework]] and paintings, and served as a [[teahouse]]. The passway of the bridge is made of bricks and stones with 21 larger and 26 smaller inlet and outlet channels, and is 7.5 meters wide. The pieces of stone used in the bridge are over 2 meters long, and the distance between every channel and the ceiling base is 21 meters.
The bridge has 23 arches and is 133 meters long and 12 meters wide. Iranian architects have raised concerns about damage inflicted on the bridge during recent "improvement program" renovations, citing, among other problems, the destruction of the original stepped base of the bridge, the alterations made to the riverbed, and the removal of the Safavid inscribed stone blocks from the bridge.<ref>{{cite web |title=

There are several [[sluice gate]]s under the archways, through which the water flow of the [[Zayanderud]] is regulated. When the sluice gates are closed, the water level behind the bridge is raised to facilitate the irrigation of the many gardens along the river upstream of the bridge. On the upper level of the bridge, the main central aisle was utilized by horses and carts and the vaulted paths on either side by pedestrians. Octagonal [[pavilion]]s in the center of the bridge on both the down and the upstream sides provide vantage points for the remarkable views. The lower level of the bridge may be accessed by pedestrians and remains a popular shady place for relaxing.

Iranian architects have raised concerns about damage inflicted on the bridge during recent "improvement program" renovations, citing, among other problems, the destruction of the original stepped base of the bridge, the alterations made to the riverbed, and the removal of the Safavid inscribed stone blocks from the bridge.<ref>{{cite web |title=
Critiquing Recent Renovations of the Khaju Bridge in Esfahan, Iran |first=Mehrdad |last=Parsipour |publisher=Green Prophet |date=20 July 2010 |access-date=21 March 2011 |url=http://www.greenprophet.com/2010/07/20/24580/the-recent-renovations-of-khajoo-bridge-in-esfahan-and-criticisms}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title='Restoration' damages at Pole Khaju in Isfahan |url=http://kavehfarrokh.com/articles/endangered-archaeological-sites/restoration-damages-at-pole-khaju-in-isfahan |first=Kaveh |last=Farrokh}}</ref>
Critiquing Recent Renovations of the Khaju Bridge in Esfahan, Iran |first=Mehrdad |last=Parsipour |publisher=Green Prophet |date=20 July 2010 |access-date=21 March 2011 |url=http://www.greenprophet.com/2010/07/20/24580/the-recent-renovations-of-khajoo-bridge-in-esfahan-and-criticisms}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title='Restoration' damages at Pole Khaju in Isfahan |url=http://kavehfarrokh.com/articles/endangered-archaeological-sites/restoration-damages-at-pole-khaju-in-isfahan |first=Kaveh |last=Farrokh}}</ref>


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed">
<gallery mode="packed">
Bridge Khjoou by Eugène Flandin.jpg|The Khaju Bridge as depicted by [[Eugène Flandin]] in 1840.
Bridge Khjoou by Eugène Flandin.jpg|The Khaju Bridge as depicted by [[Eugène Flandin]] in 1840
Isfahan R04.jpg|The Khaju Bridge in the early 20th century.
Isfahan R04.jpg|The Khaju Bridge in the early 20th century
Iran - Isfahan - Khajoo Bridge.jpg|A view of the Khaju Bridge in January 2010.
Iran - Isfahan - Khajoo Bridge.jpg|A view of the Khaju Bridge in January 2010
Isfahan - Khajoo Bridge ^ Stony Lion - panoramio.jpg|One of the two stone lions of the Khaju Bridge.
Isfahan - Khajoo Bridge ^ Stony Lion - panoramio.jpg|One of the two stone lions of the Khaju Bridge
Under bridge.JPG|Arches under the Khaju Bridge.
Under bridge.JPG|Arches under the Khaju Bridge
Pol e Khajoo - panoramio.jpg|A view seen from within the Khaju Bridge.
Pol e Khajoo - panoramio.jpg|A view seen from within the Khaju Bridge
Khaju Bridge - Isfahan-Iran-ninara09.jpg|A view of the Khaju Bridge in April 2012.
Khaju Bridge - Isfahan-Iran-ninara09.jpg|A view of the Khaju Bridge in April 2012
Dawn of the khajoo bridge 1.jpg|A view of the bridge and the [[Zayanderud]] at sunset.
Dawn of the khajoo bridge 1.jpg|A view of the bridge and the [[Zayanderud]] at sunset
Khaju Bridge.JPG|A view of the walkway on the Khaju Bridge at night.
Khaju Bridge.JPG|A view of the walkway on the Khaju Bridge at night
Khaju - Bridge.jpg|A wide view of the Khaju Bridge at night.
Khaju - Bridge.jpg|A wide view of the Khaju Bridge at night
</gallery>
</gallery>


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==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


==Further reading==
==Further reading==

Latest revision as of 03:37, 29 October 2024

Khaju Bridge
Coordinates32°38′12″N 51°41′0″E / 32.63667°N 51.68333°E / 32.63667; 51.68333
CrossesZayanderud
LocaleIsfahan, Iran
Characteristics
DesignArch bridge
MaterialStone and brick
Total length137 m (449 ft)
Width12 m (39 ft)
No. of spans21
History
Construction end1650
Location
Map

The Khaju Bridge (Persian: پل خواجو, Pol-e Xāju) is one of the historical bridges on the Zayanderud, the largest river of the Iranian Plateau, in Isfahan, Iran. Serving as both a bridge and a weir, it links the Khaju quarter on the north bank with the Zoroastrian quarter across the Zayanderud. It is located at the end of Kamal Ismail Street in Isfahan.[1]

The bridge served a primary function as a building and a place for public meetings in the past.[2][3] It has been described as the city's finest bridge.[3]

Persian art historians and revivalists, Arthur Upham Pope and Phyllis Ackerman are interred in a mausoleum nearby.[4]

History

[edit]

The Khaju Bridge was built around 1650, under the reign of Abbas II, the seventh Safavid king (shah) of Iran, on the foundations of an older bridge. The existing inscriptions suggest that the bridge was repaired in 1873. There is a pavilion located in the center of the structure, inside which Abbas II would have once sat, admiring the view.[3] Today, remnants of a stone seat is all that is left of the king's chair.

In words of Arthur Pope and Jean Chardin, Khaju is "the culminating monument of Persian bridge architecture and one of the most interesting bridges extant ... where the whole has rhythm and dignity and combines in the happiest consistency, utility, beauty, and recreation."[5] The poets of Isfahan wrote beautiful poems on the Khajoo bridge and in these poems they praised its beauties. Among these poems is the long poem by Saeb Tabrizi which describes one of the days of celebration and illumination next to this bridge. According to historians and scholars who have studied the Safavid dynasty, Shah Abbas II's goal in building the Khajoo Bridge was to connect the two districts of Khajoo and the Hassanabad Gate with Takht-e Folad and Shiraz Road. Tourists who came to Isfahan at different times praised the beauty of the Khajoo Bridge and considered it one of the eternal masterpieces of Iranian and Islamic architecture.[6]

Structure

[edit]

The bridge has 23 arches and is 133 meters long and 12 meters wide. Iranian architects have raised concerns about damage inflicted on the bridge during recent "improvement program" renovations, citing, among other problems, the destruction of the original stepped base of the bridge, the alterations made to the riverbed, and the removal of the Safavid inscribed stone blocks from the bridge.[7][8]

[edit]
  • The Khaju Bridge as depicted by Eugène Flandin in 1840
    The Khaju Bridge as depicted by Eugène Flandin in 1840
  • The Khaju Bridge in the early 20th century
    The Khaju Bridge in the early 20th century
  • A view of the Khaju Bridge in January 2010
    A view of the Khaju Bridge in January 2010
  • One of the two stone lions of the Khaju Bridge
    One of the two stone lions of the Khaju Bridge
  • Arches under the Khaju Bridge
    Arches under the Khaju Bridge
  • A view seen from within the Khaju Bridge
    A view seen from within the Khaju Bridge
  • A view of the Khaju Bridge in April 2012
    A view of the Khaju Bridge in April 2012
  • A view of the bridge and the Zayanderud at sunset
    A view of the bridge and the Zayanderud at sunset
  • A view of the walkway on the Khaju Bridge at night
    A view of the walkway on the Khaju Bridge at night
  • A wide view of the Khaju Bridge at night
    A wide view of the Khaju Bridge at night

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Isfahan book (Lotfollah Honarfar), 1977, pocket books company, page 98
  2. ^ Mainstone, Rowland J. (1998). Developments in Structural Form. Architectural Press. p. 261.
  3. ^ a b c Burke, Andrew; Elliot, Mark (2008). Iran. Lonely Planet. p. 243.
  4. ^ Erdbrink, Thomas (2014-04-14). "American's Wish for Iranian Burial Riles Hard-Liners". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  5. ^ Sir John Chardin, Ronald W. Ferrier (1996). A Journey to Persia: Jean Chardin's portrait of a seventeenth-century empire. I.B.Tauris. p. 149.
  6. ^ Isfahan website, 2021
  7. ^ Parsipour, Mehrdad (20 July 2010). "Critiquing Recent Renovations of the Khaju Bridge in Esfahan, Iran". Green Prophet. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
  8. ^ Farrokh, Kaveh. "'Restoration' damages at Pole Khaju in Isfahan".

Further reading

[edit]
  • Blair, Sheila S.; Bloom, Jonathan M. (1994). The Art and Architecture of Islam. New Haven: Yale University Press.
  • Michell, George (1978). Architecture of the Islamic World. London: Thames and Hudson.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Khaju Bridge.
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