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Medieval and Colonial Capital Cities of DelhiCOMPARATIVE ANALYSIS• City planningPrior to the interventions made by Shah Abbas I in town planning, Isfahan was already a provincial centreand had been a capital city of several empires. When Isfahan was made the capital of the Safavid Empireby Shah Abbas I in 1597 AD, remains of the earlier capital city was found in the form of a walled oval citywith axial bazaar (market) streets dividing the city into quadrants and intersecting on the Maidan‐I Qadimwhich he remade into a new central square called as the Maidan‐I Shah maintaining the vaulted bazaarwhich existed between the maidan and the Friday mosque. This square became the core of the cityflanked on each of its four sides by four monumental buildings. The sublime gate to the west led to thepalace of the Shah known as the Ali Qapu which was conceived into a new architectural form as atransition between the Maidan‐I Shah and the palace gardens. The royal bazaar or the Qeyssariyeh wasbuilt to the north of the central square and linked the old city with the new. This bazaar was a coveredmarket built in an area of 11½ sq. miles. The royal mint and the audience hall known as the Chihil SutunPalace were built nearby. The earlier city was incorporated within the new planning concept by ShahAbbas I and the existing organization of the city in a quadripartite system became the guiding principle forall future development.The city was laid with avenues, administrative offices, palaces, mosques, bazaars, gardens and irrigationsystems. The Najafabad known as the market centre was built by Shah Abbas I fifteen miles away fromthe centre of the city.The Zayanda‐Rud River was incorporated in the town planning and became an important axis of the city.A broad avenue lined with trees bisected through an area of gardens into four squares known as theChahar Bagh along which mansions of several nobles and important people were constructed. This 2½mile long and 48metre wide axis became the main thoroughfare of the city. The palace complex waslocated between the Maida‐I Shah and Chahar Bagh. This complex consisted of residential quarters,gardens, pavilions and other mansions. Near to the palace lived the attendants, servants, soldiers andbodyguards; beyond which lived the artists and artisans, merchants, religious saints and specialists, etc.In the consecutive years, Shah Abbas I built two neighbourhoods Abbas‐Abad and Gabrian to decongestthe city from its continuous growing urban population. The Armenian population was shifted to a newquarter called as New Julfa linking it to the Chahar Bagh with the Allahverdi Khan Bridge built in 1602 AD.In 1722 AD Isfahan fell into despair with the increase of the maritime trade instead of the traditional landroute trade.(Further research to be done)DELHI AND EDINBURGH, (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)• Historical BackgroundEdinburgh has been the Scottish capital since the15th century. It has two distinct areas: the OldTown, dominated by a medieval fortress; and theneoclassical New Town, whose development fromthe 18th century onwards had a far‐reachinginfluence on European urban planning. Theharmonious juxtaposition of these two contrastinghistoric areas, each with many important buildings,is what gives the city its unique character.• Status of nominationOld and New Towns of Edinburgh, United Kingdomis nominated under the UNESCO’s list of WorldHeritage Cities in 1995 under the criteria (ii) and(iv).Map 05: Map of the city centre, showing the Old Town (dark brown),New Town (mid brown), and the West End (orange), with the WorldHeritage Site indicated by the red line7/31/2012 INTACH, Delhi Chapter 13