KHADJOU BRIDGE (POL-E KHADJOU)

The discovery of this bridge, especially in summer, during nightfall, when the air fraichît and the inhabitants affluent, is one of the great moments of a stay in Isfahan. The stairs of the pillars can be lowered to soak their feet in water (when water exists), while still paying attention: it slips and the current is sometimes very strong! It is the most famous - and most beautiful - of the Isfahan bridges. Built under Shah Abbas II, circa 1650, to replace the old book, he has been a source of admiration for travellers since the th century. It is 132 m long and 12 m wide and has 24 arches spread over two floors. With its stone foundations and pillars, brick superstructure, open walks and pavilions, it extends the style of its «rival», the bridge to the Thirty-Three Arches. More than a bridge, Khadjou also acts as a dam, with narrow canals controlled by valves. In a dry climate, the water supply remains critical. These valves (hidden by water flow) make it possible to raise water levels in order to irrigate the surrounding gardens. For the past three centuries, it has nourished cultures and the city. With its two floors of broken arch arcades, its stone degrees downstream where the waterfall and its two pavilions in the center - the "chat des Princes" - the bridge remains a masterpiece of harmony and equilibrium. Note the rich color tiles on the outer side of the arcades and the special charm of these chat of Princes, semi-octogonaux pavilions, mild the long succession of arches. Originally, these pavilions wore prose and verse inscriptions. Chardin, a great French traveller of the th century, reported one: «The world is a real bridge; cross it. Weigh and measure everything on the passage. The Evil everywhere surrounds the Property and surpasses it. " These texts have been replaced for a long time with beautiful enamelled tiles and arabesques. Picturesque, the Khadjou naturally attracts crowds and is still one of the Fetishes's favourite walks. On Friday, the holy day of Islam, hundreds of families, friends and couples come together to enjoy the freshness of the water and the beauty of the places. At sunset, between arches fortify the acoustics, poets and singers exercise.