The beauty of Isfahan is a delicate one, subject to time and the elements. Everywhere we looked the process of restoration and preservation was ongoing. (Remember that the beautiful frescoes and paintings in the Palace of Forty Columns have been very recently and excellently restored.) But the work is painstaking and must be done by individual artists, with delicacy and skill to match the originals. Here our host Reza discusses the work with an artisan at work on the tiles.
The restoration must be accomplished on a grand scale, and at great heights.
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Many scaffolds were in place without immediate work being done, and there was concern expressed by some Iranians in our group that work could not possibly be done to keep up with natural deterioration.
But work was being done even before our eyes, and we passed artists concentrating on their work as our group toured the mosques.
It was reassuring to see this group working on this beautiful dome.
Kathy interrupted this worker for a photo. This is the smile of an artisan pleased with his work, and the attention paid to it. It is also the smile of the people of Iran. It is patient, open and friendly. We saw it so many times, and came to expect it. It will live in our hearts, and we know it goes a long way to enliven and restore beauty and goodness in a fragile world.
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