architecture

💫 Si-o-Se Pol, or Allahverdi Khan Bridge, is a bridge with 33 arches, 295 meters in length and 14 meters in width. It was constructed under the supervision of Allahverdi Khan Undiladze and designed by the architect Master Hossein Bana Esfahani. Built over the Zayandeh River in the city of Isfahan during the reign of Shah Abbas of the Safavid dynasty, the bridge was a venue for the water-splashing festival as well as the Armenian Khaj-shuyan (baptism) ceremony during the Safavid period.

The idea to build Si-o-Se Pol emerged in 1008 AH (Islamic calendar) during the twelfth year of Shah Abbas I's reign, and in 1011 AH, Allahverdi Khan Undiladze, a famous Georgian commander of Shah Abbas, was tasked with completing the construction. European travelers' accounts from that era mention this festival. In the festival, held annually on the 13th of Tir (a month in the Iranian calendar), people would participate by sprinkling water and rosewater on each other. 💫