Influence of the Safavid Period on Social Issues and Public Space in Esfahan (Case Study: Allahverdi Khan and Khaju Bridges)

In the Safavid era, due to the government’s approach to the issue of collective life, as well as attention to the issue of national unity and the society unity, certain changes can be observed in the type and manner of social activities. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to investigate the impacts of the Safavid government on the formation of urban spaces. It is considered the process of turning the bridges built during this period, such as the Allahverdi Khan and Khajoo Bridges, into the context of group activities and the role of the government in it.

In this study, with the interpretive historical method, Safavid Travelogue to extract social activities has been studied. Then, by explaining the role of government in such activities, the causes of government agency in holding various social events are examined and the creation of Allah Verdi Khan and Khaju Bridges as a place of collective behavior of the people are then analyzed.

Since the legitimacy of the Safavid government relies on the national unity, the public territory, as the sphere of communication of society, has become the scene of national and religious events, and the government has been responsible for establishing and forming many social events. Hence, spaces such as Naqsh-e Jahan Square, Chaharbagh Street, as well as Allah Verdi Khan and Khaju Bridges have been formed during this period.

The urban bridges of Safavid era, i.e. Allah Verdi Khan and Khaju Bridges, have become the context of social activities of the people and the king, and instead of the mere function of a passage, they have formed a key collective space in the structure of Isfahan with their special architecture.