Abbas I's Expansion of Isfahan

One must turn to Isfahan to assess Shah Abbas as a patron of architecture. Abbas' succession completely transformed the sorry state of affairs which had prevailed in Iranian architecture for nearly a century, with the dynamism with which the new shah sponsored the expansion of Isfahan inspiring architects to recover the inspiration that had trickled away in the long stagnation of previous reigns. Appropriately enough, Timurid and not early architecture provided the springboard for fresh developments, among which the monuments of Isfahan claim pride of place.