Esfahan, Iran, October 19, 2015

The entrance to the Vank Cathedral-

is decorated with frescoes.  There is also a bell tower and numerous tombs-

This Armenian church is found in the heart of Esfahan!  It was built in 1606 to meet the needs of the immigrating Armenians and is in Christian Orthodox style. 

It's an amalgamation of architectural styles: Islamic tile work and Armenian-Christian paintings-

The front altar area is very colorful-

The walls depict scenes from the Bible such as The Last Supper-

and Judgement Day which is kind of like the Sistine Chapel-

The Crucifixion-

and Jesus ordering two more beer-

The museum contains the smallest book in the world (middle top of the picture)-

and a Bible written in the 11th and 12th centuries-

This painting of Lake Sevan reminded me of last year's trip-

There is also a monument commemorating the genocide of more than 1.5 million Armenians in 1915 by the Ottoman Turkish government-

Hip Iranian women hang out at the Armenian church too!

 

The Mausoleum of Amu Abdollah Garladani is also known as the Shaking Minarets.  Garladani was a Sufi mystic and it is here that he lies, since the 14th century-

If one minaret is shaken, the other starts to move too-

The Masjed e- Jame is the largest and most mysterious mosque in the Islamic world.  Construction started in 771.  There are 4 iwan at the cardinal points and each is different-

Inside the south iwan. the peaks were very large-

There are many different styles of columns, vaults and brick work-

Walking along, we came upon a very high domed area with more intricate brick work.  It was gothic looking-

The tile work on the outside is a mish-mash of different workers and their own personal ideas-

The west iwan-

was very plain-

however, there was an elaborate minbar with many different calligraphies-

The traffic is nuts!

More Irenglish-

Eating today was fantastic:  Lamb chops, rice and saffron flavoured yogurt which also has grated lamb  is eaten as an hors d'oeuvre or dessert-

They shouldn't call this beer!

We ate lunch at the best restaurant in Esfahan, (according to Madhi) - The Shahrzad-

I didn't try this but I know lots who would!

It takes 5 or 6 carrots to make a glass of juice.  No sugar was added either and it was excellent-

Saffron flavored ice cream from, according to Mahdi, "the best in all of Iran".  It's gooey and we can't decide what it's made of: condensed milk?  eggs?  Hard to say-

Supper was a loaded pizza and ketchup-

in a fast food joint-

The 33 Arch Bridge looks great at night-

Heading to a village for an overnight stay tomorrow!