Contemporary city

Isfahan’s rich history and cultural heritage make it an attractive tourist destination. The city is famous for its handicrafts, such as silverware, copper work, woodwork, brass work, and pottery. The old art of tile making has been successfully revived in order to repair the ancient monuments. Carpet weaving was revived in Isfahan in the second quarter of the 20th century, and it expanded rapidly in production of exports of excellent quality and design for the European market. Many of the patterns are created by professional designers and beautifully drawn with swirling vines or arabesques, usually on a cream ground and with a hard brick-red border. The city is also well known for its qalamkārs, cotton fabrics hand printed with various designs.

Over the course of the city’s history, various religious minorities have flourished in Isfahan. A number of Armenian churches, including Vank Cathedral (built in the mid-17th century), may be found in the city. The churches—some of which date from Safavid rule—are a reflection of the Armenian community that has long inhabited Isfahan’s Jolfa district; Armenians were gathered there during the rule of Abbas I and were encouraged to continue practicing their religion and engaging in commerce. The city also bears significance for Bahāʾīs: in the 1840s the Bāb, one of the three central figures of the Bahāʾī faith, arrived in Isfahan and there composed some of his major works; a Bahāʾī community flourished in the city in the late 1800s.

Educational facilities include the University of Isfahan (founded 1950), Isfahan University of Medical Sciences (founded 1950), and Isfahan University of Technology (founded 1977). Libraries include the municipal library and the library associated with the University of Isfahan. A museum affiliated with Vank Cathedral features paintings, church vestments, and ancient manuscripts and includes a library.

Industry in Isfahan has developed to such an extent that the city employs one of the largest bodies of industrial workers in Iran, and the value of its industries combined makes it one of the most important industrial centers in the country. The city’s industries include steelmaking, cement production, and petroleum refining.

Isfahan is situated on a main north-south highway from Tehran to Shiraz and the Persian Gulf. It is linked by road east and southeast to Yazd, Kerman, and Zahedan and thus to Pakistan. Isfahan is connected to other cities by rail.

Military and nuclear facilities

Building off the city’s budding industrial base in the early 20th century, Isfahan also became a hub of Iran’s defense industry. Just north of the city lies Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industries (Hesa; Ṣanāyeʿ-e Havāpeymā-sāzi-e Irān), a manufacturing complex constructed in 1976 that produces the IrAn-140 airliner and military transport plane (an adaptation of the Ukrainian-designed Antonov 140 [An-140]) as well as a wide range of military weapons, including drones and ballistic missiles. An air base northeast of the city houses a fleet of F-14 Tomcat jet fighters, which were acquired before the 1979 Iranian Revolution when the United States was a close military ally.

The Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center (INTC) to the city’s southeast includes four nuclear facilities. Its construction, which began in 1999, prompted concerns in the early 2000s after an opposition group revealed that Iran was covertly developing capabilities for uranium enrichment and failing to declare its activity to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Although the Iranian government maintained that its nuclear program was intended for civilian purposes, its lack of transparency raised suspicions internationally and stoked worries that the activity might provoke nuclear proliferation in the region. In 2005, at the height of international intrigue, a uranium conversion facility in the INTC became operational, marking a key step toward uranium enrichment. Upon the conclusion of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015, the government agreed to allow the IAEA to monitor and track activity at the INTC for 25 years.