Isfahan, also spelled Esfahan, major city of the Seljuk Turks (11th-12th century) and of the Safavid dynasty of Iran (16th-18th century), now a major city in west central Iran. It lies on the Zayandeh-rud River, about 210 miles (340 km) south of Tehran. Little is known of Isfahan before Sasanian times (c. AD 224-c. 651).
In the 4th century a colony of Jews was said to have been established in the suburb of Yahudiyeh. When the Arabs captured Isfahan in 642, they made it the capital of al-Jibal province. Toghrïl Beg, the Turkish conqueror and founder of the Seljuk dynasty, made Isfahan the capital of his domains in the mid-11th century; under his grandson Malik-Shah I (reigned 1073-92), the city grew in size and splendor. After the fall of the Seljuq dynasty (c. 1200), Isfahan temporarily declined.
The city's golden age began in 1598 when Shah 'Abbas I the Great (reigned 1588-1629) made it his capital and rebuilt it into one of the largest and most beautiful cities of the 17th century. The centre of the city he created the immense Meydan-e Imam (Imaml Square) as well as the noted Masjid-i Imam (Imam Mosque), which was not finished until after his death, and the Masjid-i Sheykh Lotfollah (Lotfollah Mosque).
In 1722 the Ghilzay Afghans took the city after a long siege. An industrial quarter was built, and many of the historic buildings were restored. Isfahan, a major textile center, is well known for its handicrafts and traditional manufactures of tiles, rugs, and cotton fabrics. More modern industries include steelmaking and petroleum refining. The city is the home of Isfahan University (established 1936).