The Jameh Mosque of Isfahan is not a single building but a thousand years of building laid on top of itself, in a way you rarely see. It stands in the old quarter near the bazaar, two kilometres from the great square of Naqsh-e Jahan, and Isfahan, a city of some one and a half million people on the Zayandeh river, spreads around it. UNESCO inscribed it in 2012 as an example of the evolution of Islamic architecture from the eighth century to the end of the Safavid period.
The oldest parts date from the Abbasid era, and the mosque was rebuilt many times. The Seljuk rulers added the two great brick domes in the late eleventh century, one over the south hall and one over the north, and the vault of the northern dome is a masterpiece of geometry, with ribs and squinches placed so exactly that it still looks light. In the centuries that followed the Mongols, the Timurids and the Safavids added tilework, a winter prayer hall with enormous pillars, and four great iwans around the courtyard. Walk around slowly and you pass from plain brick to blue and turquoise tile, and the mosque seems to change its mood in each hall. Visitors should dress modestly, women covering their hair, and be aware that prayer times may limit access.
For the traveller, Isfahan is a city to be walked and eaten, not ridden. The traffic is dense and fast, with roundabouts and motorbikes weaving at speed, and parking near the bazaar is a trial, so leave the bike at your lodging and take a taxi or walk. The better riding lies outside. The roads south-west towards the Zagros mountains and north-east across the desert to Kashan are long and open, with the colour of the land changing from pale sand to red rock. Summer is very hot, with dry heat that rises above forty degrees, so spring and autumn are best, and the light on the domes in late afternoon is wonderful.
Fuel is easy to find in the city and in nearby Rehnān and Dorcheh Pīāz, though you should check the rules for foreign vehicles and payment before you travel. Try beryani, the local lamb dish, and gaz, a nougat made with pistachios that Isfahan is famous for, and drink tea in the shade of the bazaar.