Jubara Service Nodes (IUHP Site)

As part of their research on the urban fabric of pre-Safavid Isfahan, the Isfahan Urban History Project team mapped two main streets in the ancient quarter of Jubara in Isfahan. These streets radiated from the city's Old Square (Maydan-i Kuhna) out toward what were once the city walls. The team found that clusters of public buildings (called "service nodes") occurred at strikingly regular intervals along these streets, always at their intersection with other public thoroughfares. These nodes included baths, mosques, madrasas, shops and bazaars. At the time of surveying (1974-6), most were incomplete, having changed over the centuries. The oldest intact buildings in these nodes dated to over 300 years, and often stood alone, the other parts of the node having either been rebuilt or replaced over time.Sources:Golombek, Lisa and Renata Holod. Preliminary Report on the Isfahan City Project (Paper delivered at the Congress for Iranian Art & Archaeology, Munich, September 1976). Isfahan Urban History Project. The Aga Khan Documentation Center at Mit. Carton 1, Folder 17, "Isfahan Papers [1975-1979]."