resumeIn brief
Maidan Emam Square collects monumental buildings in a common frame. The continuous end is as important as the individual facades.
Useful to know
Maidan Emam Square in Isfahan was shaped under Shah Abbas I in the early 17th century. UNESCO describes monumental buildings connected by rows of two-story arcades. [1]
The architectural question is not just which building is highest or most richly decorated. The arcades create a common end of the square, while the various important buildings give separate accents. The common space and the individual monument act simultaneously.
When considering a plan, first outline the empty space in the square. Then note where in its continuous contour the various monumental entrances and buildings appear. This reverses the usual habit of looking only at facades without the connection between them.
The source presents the place as a testimony to social and cultural life in Safavid Persia. [1] Do not reduce this organization to decorative symmetry: the square unites different functions in an urban composition.
Sources
For further detail and to check the information: