About Khaju
Bridge in Esfahan province
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The
Bridge of Khaju or pole-i-Khaju, the most famous
of Isfahan bridges, has roused the admiration of
travelers since the 17th century.
There was an earlier bridge across the river at
the same spot, near the district of Khaju on the
old Shiraz road; this was probably built in the
reign of Timurian sovereign, one of the
successors of Tamerlane (15th century). Shah
Abbas II built the present structure round about
1650. It has 23 arch and are 436 feet long and
39 feet wide. It is also a dam; sluice gates
between the piers closed the canals, raising the
water level upstream so that large reserves
could be collected for irrigating the
surrounding gardens.
With its two stories of arcades with
intersecting arches, its stone steps downstream
with the water cascading over them, and its two
large pavilions in the center- (The Prince`
Parlors)- this bridge is a masterpiece of
balance and harmony.
The outer side of the arcades is decorated with
richly colored tiles, and the interior of the
pavilions with more recent paintings.
Shah Abbas the second of the Safavid dynasty on
the ruins of Hassan Baik Bridge in 1650 or
1655.The bridge has been known with a variety of
titles including Pol-e-Shahi, Pol-e-Khaju,
Pol-e-Baba Rokneddin, and Pol-e-Gabrha built
this bridge. The bridge is 105 meters long and
14 meters wide.
The pass way of the bridge is 7.5 meters wide,
made of bricks and stones with 21 larger and 26
smaller inlet and outlet channels. The pieces of
stone used in this bridge are over 2 meters long
and the distance between every channel and the
ceiling base is 20 meters. The existing
inscriptions suggest that the bridge was
repaired in 1873.




