Chapter 01
Half the world, they used to say
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Destination · Iran
Isfahan, Iran
Half the world, still standing
A Safavid imperial capital where the tilework is still being repaired by the last people who know how.
10 chapters ahead
Climate
High desert air — dry, bright, cold at night even in spring, and genuinely hot in summer afternoons
Best season
Late March through early May, when the light is sharp and the city is moving but not yet scorched
Atmosphere
- urban-midsize
- old-world
- spiritual
- artsy
- culinary
- walkable
- arid
- intense
- literary
The chapters
10 ways to get lost here
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Chapter 02
The bridges carry more than traffic
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Chapter 03
Lunch is rice, and rice is serious
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Chapter 04
What the tilework doesn't tell you
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Chapter 05
The bazaar runs on tea and patience
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Chapter 06
Miniatures painted smaller than your thumbnail
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Chapter 07
Nowruz begins weeks before the date
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Chapter 08
The Armenian quarter kept its own calendar
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Chapter 09
Kashan rewards the detour south
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Chapter 10
Granada built the same dream, different faith
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Keep wandering
You’ve finished Isfahan. Where next?
Pull a thread at random, fall into the world map, or step back to the front door for the latest dispatches.