The Allahverdi Khan Bridge ( fa, پل الله‌وردی خان), popularly known as Si-o-se-pol ( fa, سی‌وسه‌پل, lit= hebridge of thirty-three pans}), is the largest of the eleven historical

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

s on the

Zayanderud Zayanderud ( fa, Zāyanderud, script=Latn, from "fertile" or "life giver", and "river"), also spelled as ''Zayandeh-Rood'' or ''Zayanderood'', is the largest river of the Iranian Plateau in central Iran. Geography The Zayandeh starts in ...

, the largest river of the

Iranian Plateau The Iranian plateau or Persian plateau is a geological feature in Western Asia, Central Asia, and South Asia. It comprises part of the Eurasian Plate and is wedged between the Arabian Plate and the Indian Plate; situated between the Zagros ...

, in Isfahan,

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. The bridge was built in the early 17th century to serve as both a bridge and a

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

. It is a popular recreational gathering place, and is one of the most famous examples of Iran's

Safavid architecture Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, '. was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often conside ...

History

Si-o-se-pol (meaning the bridge of 33 Persian) was built between 1599 and 1602, under the reign of Abbas I, the fifth Safavid king (

shah Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...

) of Iran. It was constructed under the supervision of Allahverdi Khan Undiladze, the commander-in-chief of the armies, who was of

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

origin, and was also named after him. The bridge served particularly as a connection between the mansions of the elite, as well as a link to the city's vital

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

neighborhood of

New Julfa New Julfa ( fa, نو جلفا – ''Now Jolfā'', – ''Jolfâ-ye Now''; hy, Նոր Ջուղա – ''Nor Jugha'') is the Armenian quarter of Isfahan, Iran, located along the south bank of the Zayande River. Established and named after the ol ...

. In years of drought (2000–02 and 2013), the river was dammed upstream to provide water for

Yazd Yazd ( fa, یزد ), formerly also known as Yezd, is the capital of Yazd Province, Iran. The city is located southeast of Isfahan. At the 2016 census, the population was 1,138,533. Since 2017, the historical city of Yazd is recognized as a Wor ...

province. Si-o-se Pol, Isfahan, Irán, 2016-09-19, DD 07-15 HDR PAN.jpg,

Panoramic photography Panoramic photography is a technique of photography, using specialized equipment or software, that captures images with horizontally elongated fields of view. It is sometimes known as ''wide format photography''. The term has also been applied to ...

of the bridge

Structure

The bridge has a total length of and a total width of . It is a vaulted arch bridge consisting of two superimposed rows of 33 arches, from whence its popular name of ''Si-o-se-pol'' comes, and is made of stone. The longest span is about . The interior of Si-o-se-pol was originally decorated with paintings, which were often described by travelers as erotic. There is a larger base plank at the start of the bridge, under which the

flows, supporting a

tea house A teahouse (mainly Asia) or tearoom (also tea room) is an establishment which primarily serves tea and other light refreshments. A tea room may be a room set aside in a hotel especially for serving afternoon tea, or may be an establishment wh ...

, which is nowadays abandoned.

Gallery

File:53 Chardin Si-o-se Pol.jpg, A 17th-century drawing of Si-o-se-pol by

Jean Chardin Jean Chardin (16 November 1643 – 5 January 1713), born Jean-Baptiste Chardin, and also known as Sir John Chardin, was a French jeweller and traveller whose ten-volume book ''The Travels of Sir John Chardin'' is regarded as one of the finest ...

. File:33 pol.JPG, Benches and tables next to Si-o-se-pol. File:33pol-innerview.JPG, A view of the arches under Si-o-se-pol. File:سی و سه پل1.jpg, Si-o-se-pol in December 2015. File:33 Bridge Isfahan Aarash (14).jpg, Si-o-se-pol's view of the

. File:Statue of Allah-Verdi Khan, Isfahan.jpg, The statue of

Allahverdi Khan Allahverdi Khan ( fa, اللّه وردی خان, ka, ალავერდი-ხანი) (c. 1560 – June 3, 1613) was an Iranian general and statesman of Georgian origin who, initially a '' gholām'' ("military slave"), rose to high offic ...

, next to the bridge. File:Si-o-se Pol, Isfahan, Irán, 2016-09-19, DD 04-06 HDR.jpg, Si-o-se-pol at night. File:نمای سی و سه پل از روبروی میدان انقلاب.jpg, Si-o-se-pol's walkway at night. File:A photo of Si-o-se-pol.jpg, April 2019, by Bardia Moradi.

Transportation

Chaharbagh Street * Street in Iran

Motahari Street * Street in Iran

Kamaloddin Esmaeil Street * Avenue in Iran

Chahar Bagh Bala Street * Street in Iran

Mellat Street * Street in Iran

Ayenekhaneh Street * Esfahan Metro Logo

Enqelab Metro Station * Esfahan Metro Logo

Si-o-se Pol Metro Station

History

Structure

Gallery

Transportation

References

Further reading