An old Persian proverb says, "Esphahan , Esphahan is half the world". This reminds me of the Talmudic saying that when God created the world He gave Jerusalem 9 measures of beauty and the remaining measure He gave to the rest of the world. It is possible to travel this wide world and contradict no one.Esphahan is certainly half that measure.

The entire city sits on a river, crossed by bridges. Each bridge is a work of art, stone pillars spanning the wide body of water with graceful arches. Under every bridge is a tea-shop where the music is just the right volume and the sweet smell of the water pipe covers the surrounding park.

Parks are very important to the Iranians, since they are the only place to cool off and picnicking in the park is the only way to go out and see people and not spend a fortune; and so the parks in Iran are wonderful places of shade and green and conviviality.

It is a wonderful thing to walk between the dining families - the men reclining on cushions and the chadored women serving rice and chicken - they always bring enough for an army and they will call to you to have the honour of inviting you to share their dinner.

It is in Esphahan that I realised just how much I liked the Iranian people. Warm, generous and always ready to help a stranger; this is a people which deserves so much more.

Beyond the river spreads the city of Esphahan, on a flat plain, and in the centre of the old town is the inevitable Emmam Khomeini Square; only nobody calls it that. They still call it the , which means, 'View of the World'. Two mosques and a palace sit on this rectangle of grace. The Emmam mosque (formally the Shah mosque) is one of the marvels of the Moslem world. As soon as you enter it's great gates, the entire structure turns right to face Mecca, like a great bird stretching its neck.

One major disappointment is that the mosque is not in use outside of prayer time, so the carpets are rolled up and there's nowhere to sit and so the whole thing looks like a disinfected edifice. But standing under the blue dome is like standing on the edge of a universe in which other planets are close. Imagine being able to reach out and touch Venus!

The most marvellous view by far is from the terrace of the palace. Looking out across the city you are struck by its flatness, and by the domes rising above it, as though the entire place were preparing for a balloon contest. In the distance off to the left the Friday Mosque, to the right a little mausoleum where we crept for an afternoon nap; and everywhere else the winding sleepy bazaar! Every street in the bazaar gives off onto countless courtyards with their basins of water until you get to the Friday Mosque, which is an outdoor mosque.

I love to sit in these places and just be part of the scene as people come and go and greet each other, have a chat or just sit around. The surrounding walls of the mosque are an elaborate setting for everyday dramas.

Esphahan is half the world!