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This one has just been uploaded again as I wasn’t very happy with the first version of this image.

As I crumpled to the floor after a loooong day of walking around the Bazaar in Esfahan, I looked at the ceiling and saw a totally amazing abstract that was just begging to be captured. So I crawled to where I had left my backpack, slapped a weary hand upon my trusty Canon 7D, felt my grip tighten and removed it from the backpack. Then I sleepily rolled back to where I had been and fired off a few (bracketed) shots. I slowly lowered the 7D to the ground and dreamt of sweet Persian cakes and tea! (Or so I’d have you believe) ;-)

The Abbasi Hotel in Esfahan (aka Isfahan) Iran is completely amazing. This is a HDR of 3 photos, then adjusted a tad further in PS.

Built in circa 1700AD the hotel has recently been renovated and redecorated again. The lobby has an awesome inlaid tiled floor and when you look up to the ceiling, two floors above, it is covered in a mosaic of coloured glass and that is intricately and intrinscally beautiful.

The Abbasi Hotel has a total of 225 rooms. The breakfast room/restaurant has to be seen to be believed,as does the rest of the hotel.

We were fortunate to stay in Room 222 which was beautifully decorated (photos to come later) which apparently was where the (pre-revolution) Shah’s wife would stay when the royal couple visited Esfahan.

Having been a budget traveller (ie backpackers and cheap hotels) in previous years, this was a huge step up for me however, even my wife was impressed with not only with the hotel itself, also with the food and quality of service. This hotel is definetely a step above the rest.

If this hotel was situated in a Western country you could expect to pay well over AU$1,500.00 /night for a double room however, we only paid $170.00 per night for our room.

Canon 7D
Canon Lens 15-85mm
HDR, 3 images, tonemapped, then adjusted shadows in PS

31 July 2010 Featured in If It Doesn’t Belong
4 August 2010 Featured in Live, Love, Dream

127 views as at 4 August 2010

Some limited but further info from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbasi_Hotel

The Abbasi Hotel is a hotel located in Isfahan, Iran. This complex was built at the time of king Sultan Hossein of Safavid about 300 years ago. It was built as a caravansary to provide lodging for passengers. The structure has been renovated since the 1950s to fight and prevent degradation.

The 1974 film Ten Little Indians, starring Oliver Reed and Elke Sommer, was shot here.

Further details of EsfahanIsfahan below from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esfahan

Isfahan is located on the main north-south and east-west routes crossing Iran, and was once one of the largest cities in the world. It flourished from 1050 to 1722, particularly in the 16th century under the Safavid dynasty, when it became the capital of Persia for the second time in its history. Even today, the city retains much of its past glory. It is famous for its Islamic architecture, with many beautiful boulevards, covered bridges, palaces, mosques, and minarets. This led to the Persian proverb “’Esfahān nesf-e jahān ast” (Isfahan is half of the world).

Bazaar in Esfahan (Isfahan)

Beautiful bridges in Esfahan/Isfahan below:
Si-o-Seh Pol – Esfahan – Iran – Daylight

Si-o-Seh Pol below at night

The next bridge along from this one is Ferdowsi Bridge:

Sheikh Lotf Allah Mosque – Esfahan

Inside Imam Mosque below:

Entrance to Imam Mosque:

If you’d like to see my work that has been FEATURED (WOOHOO!) in a Group then Click -→ FEATURED!

The links below will take you to various sets of my work:

1. Persepolis
2. Pasargadae
3. Persia
4. Esfahan – Iran
5. Shiraz – Iran
6. Time Lapse
7. Black & White
8. High Dynamic Range – HDR
9. Birds
10. Sydney
11. Luna Park – Sydney
12. Long Flat – NSW
13. Sofala
14. Fireworks