Si-o-se-pol

About this place

Si-o-se-pol, officially the Allahverdi Khan Bridge, is the largest of the eleven historic bridges on the Zayanderud in Isfahan. Its popular name means bridge of thirty-three, after the number of its spans. It is a favourite place for locals to walk, a long and harmonious line of brick arches at its most beautiful in the evening lights. It was built between 1599 and 1602 under Shah Abbas the Great, supervised by his commander-in-chief Allahverdi Khan, who was of Georgian origin and gave the bridge its name. It was designed as both a bridge and a dam. It linked the mansions of the elite and tied the city to the road south. It is about 298 m long and about 15 m wide. You walk the broad central passage between two rows of arches, then go down to the lower level, where the spans run above the riverbed. The water dries up in many seasons and years, so do not always expect the river you see in photos. In the evening the arches glow orange, and the scene becomes a calm family stroll. It is about 1.5 km in a straight line from the Shah Mosque and about 1.7 km from Khaju Bridge. The walk between them along the river is worthwhile late in the day. The UK Foreign Office currently advises against all travel to Iran and warns that British nationals risk detention, so check official guidance before making any plans. We could not confirm the current state of this site.