Senses and Pleasures of Urban Experience: A Journey Through Seventeenth-Century Isfahan

Early modern Isfahan was a cosmopolitan city that offered a staggering array of pleasures to its visitors and inhabitants. This talk examines the city’s topography of leisure through the lens of the “Guide for Strolling in Isfahan,” a lyrical literary composition penned in the mid-seventeenth century. Following a one-day excursion in the Safavid capital, this talk by Dr Farshad Emami at Dublin’s Chester Beatty explores how seventeenth-century Isfahan—with its social establishments, bustling markets, and material artifacts—gave rise to new urban experiences, especially for the privileged young men of Safavid times.

This and other lectures can be attended live or on Zoom and can be booked via the Chester Beatty’s website.