Jolfa - the Armenian quarter of Isfahan

As a travel reading for our trip in Iran, I had chosen some Persian literature. I was very much enchanted by Zoya Pirzad's novel "C'est moi qui éteins les lumières" (in English translated as "Things we left unsaid") that tells a story of a housewife living in the Armenian community of Abadan in South-Western Iran some time before the 1979 revolution. The book is wonderfully written and it made me curious about the Iranian-Armenians living in Iran. They are the biggest Christian community in Iran and can be found especially in Tabriz, Tehran, and the quarter of Jolfa in Isfahan.

The Vank Cathedral in Jolfa, built in the mid-17th century,

Shah Abbas I, an important king in developing the city of Isfahan in the early 17th century, brought Armenians from the city of Jolfa in Northern Iran to Isfahan for their skills as merchants and entrepreneurs. They were guaranteed religious freedom in what was called the "New Jolfa". 

The interior of the Vank Cathedral is beautifully decorated.

There are still around 5 000 ethnic Armenians living in the quarter and the beautiful Vank Cathedral serves the community. Otherwise, the neighborhood wasn't distinctly Armenian or Christian.

Young and talented Iranians playing and singing in Jolfa.

It probably strikes as a weird tourist destination in an Islamic state, but the Jolfa quarter is a great place to hang around in the calm streets, visit the cathedral and have some good coffee. The neighborhood had a good vibe and even the locals said it was one of the nicest quarters of the city.

The best coffee we had in Iran was at Sharbatkhane Firooz in Jolfa quarter.

Iran is, for sure, more known as a tea culture than coffee culture, and indeed, coffee usually meant awful Nescafé, so I was glad to find the small and cute Sharbatkhane Firooz café (see photos above) across the street from the Hotel Jolfa. It is definitely a destination for any coffee drinker visiting Isfahan, and their ice cream, bastani, is delicious too. 

Surprisingly, the café wasn't in the Lonely Planet guidebook, but I hope it makes to the next edition. 

Iranian ice cream, bastani. Yam!