or Ifahn City (pop., 1996: 1,266,072), west-central Iran. An ancient Median town, it was known as Aspadana. It was a major city of the Seljq dynasty (11th-13th centuries AD) and of the Safavid dynasty of Iran (16th-18th centuries). Its golden age began in 1598 when Shah Abbs I made it his capital and rebuilt it into one of the 17th century's greatest cities. At its centre he created the immense Maydn-e Shh, or Royal Square, a great rectangular garden enclosing the Masjid-e Shh (Royal Mosque). In 1722 Afghanis took the city, and it went into decline. Recovery began in the 20th century, and it is now a major textile centre, whose other industries include steelmaking and petroleum refining
Persian Masjed-e Jmi Complex of buildings, chiefly of the Seljq period (see Seljq dynasty), in Efahn, Iran. The mosque (completed 1130) has a central courtyard framed by four huge eyvns, or vaulted niches. It is renowned for its fine brickwork, vaulting, and two domed sanctuaries. The brick dome of the main sanctuary ( 1070-75) is supported by heavy piers. The smaller domed chamber (1088) is known for its beauty of proportion; its dome, resting on a series of arches, is a structural masterpiece. The dome and the four-eyvn plan became standard for Seljq mosques