Isfahan is famous for its Perso–Islamic architecture, grand boulevards, covered bridges, palaces, tiled mosques, and minarets. Isfahan also has many historical buildings, monuments, paintings and artifacts. The fame of Isfahan led to the Persian pun and proverb "Esfahān nesf-e- jahān ast": Isfahan is half of the world.

Isfahan -- Half the World The Safavid period (1502 1736) was particularly decisive for shaping the city, whose beauty was so great that world travelers purportedly dubbed it "Half the World," which, according to the proud 17th-century historian Iskandar Munshi, was because "they only describe half of Isfahan."

Isfahan (Persian: اصفهان, romanized: Esfahân [esfæˈhɒːn]; also rendered as Ispahan or Esfahan) is a major city in the Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located 440 kilometres (270 miles) south of Tehran.

Most accounts of its beauty refer to the Safavid period: Isfahan was the storied capital of Iran from 1598 to 1722 CE, inspiring the famous adage "Isfahan nisf-i-jahan" (Isfahan is half the world), but the city's history stretches back more than 2500 years.