Central Library of the Municipality (ketābkhāne-ye markazī-ye shahrdārī)

Central Library of the Municipality (ketābkhāne-ye markazī-ye shahrdārī), The Central Library of the Municipality is one of the most important public libraries in the city of Isfahan.

The origins of its establishment go back to the founding of the Baladīyye Library* (Municipality Library) in 1907/1286.¹ After the early years following the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979/1357, and at the beginning of the 1980s/1360, the Municipality* decided to establish several libraries and reading halls in order to strengthen the city’s cultural infrastructure. Among these, the Central Library of the city was given top priority. Preliminary studies for designing a large library worthy of the city —locating an appropriate site and providing financial resources for its construction—took nearly eight years in practice. One of the reasons for this long process was the search for the most suitable location near the city’s historical and touristic centers. Through the efforts of city officials, especially Muhammad-Hasan Malek-Madani, the mayor, and Faḍlullāh Ṣalavātī, university professor and political-cultural activist,² the private residence of Lady Amin* (d. 1983/1362) was purchased from her heirs for the establishment of the library. ³ This house stood opposite the Bāgh-e Hasht Behesht, within the precinct of the historic citadel of Isfahan, adjacent to the Safavid Dawlatkhāne* complex, about 850 meters from the Naqsh-e Jahān Square and near the palaces of Chehel Sutūn* and Hasht Behesht*; its architectural design therefore had to take into account the characteristics of these monuments.

The construction of the Central Library building was accompanied by several ups and downs. In 1988/1367, the Municipality of Isfahan initially entrusted the design of the building to Manṣūr Zehtābchī, one of the prominent architects of Isfahan. The plan of the library was completed in 1990/1369 and approved by the Provincial Governor’s Office, the Municipality, the Department of Culture and Islamic Guidance, and the Provincial Public Libraries Association (see design image).⁴ However, after a pause,⁵a structure differing from the approved plan was built on the site; its construction was halted at the skeleton stage. Because the erected structure did not correspond to the original design, the authorities faced two options: either demolish it or redesign the plan according to the existing framework. The Municipality chose the latter, and since the original architect did not wish to continue the collaboration, a new design was commissioned to another team. In 1995/1374, the design and supervision of the project were assigned to the consulting engineers firm Pulashīr, and under the leadership of Muhammad-Reza Qāne‛ī, as chief designer, and his colleagues,⁶construction was resumed⁷ After about eleven years, the building was completed, and on 18 February 2003/29 Bahman 1381, the “Central Library and Information Center of the Municipality of Isfahan” was inaugurated in the presence of Maḥmūd Ḥusaynī (Governor) and Muhammad-Ali Javādī (Mayor) officially beginning to provide cultural and scholarly services.⁸ The building covers an area of about 4,218 m², with a total floor space of approximately 12,000 m² across five floors and a height of seventeen meters. To preserve the skyline of the city’s historical district, three floors of the library were constructed below ground level. The library includes various sections such as the information and visitors’ guidance desk, stacks, reference, lending, periodicals, information services, training hall, meeting and seminar rooms, auditorium, art gallery, digital section, and the treasury of manuscripts, rare books, and archival documents.⁹

The Central Library is among the most prominent examples of contemporary architecture in Isfahan, designed according to two guiding approaches. From the inside, the building is modernist in character, conceived as a transparent glass volume that allows visual access across different floors. This design concept was inspired by multimedia culturalⁱ centers such as the Centre national d’art et de culture Georges Pompidou (1977) in Paris.¹⁰ A multimedia cultural center is an institution that goes beyond the function of a traditional library, serving simultaneously as a venue for artistic, research, and recreational activities while providing access to archives of diverse materials—visual, auditory, printed, and digital. At the same time, efforts were made to ensure that the building’s external appearance, in both material and height, harmonized with the surrounding historical fabric, especially the nearby Hasht Behesht palace. Since the site formerly belonged to the precinct of the Bāgh-e Guldaste*, an octagonal Persian garden dating to the Safavid period, the architectural design sought to preserve the octagonal essence of the original garden. Furthermore, elements of traditional Iranian architecture were incorporated wherever possible—for instance, a central pool and open courtyard that enable the use of natural light across all floors and lend freshness and vitality to the environment. In the building’s façade, a perforated brick screen envelops the overall cubic structure, visually separating it from its exterior surroundings while imparting a geometric form. At the same time, this screen evokes the Iranian architectural motif of the dovecote (kabūtar-khāne).¹¹ The perforated brick shell not only enhances protection and security but also provides an effective layer of acoustic and thermal insulation. The combination of construction materials—such as brick, red-orange-yellow granite stone, chiseled stone, glass, and copper panels—gives the building a distinctive and modern appearance.¹²

The synthesis of tradition and modernity is manifested not only in the construction and architecture of the Central Library but also in its scholarly and cultural services. On one hand, the institution strives to remain aligned with contemporary global technology. Accordingly, the library’s digital section operates as a digital and multimedia library, encompassing various formats—including texts, audio files, films, designs and plans, historical maps, documents, and records—and provides users with access to information at any time and from any place through its online digital library portal. As of July 2025/Tir 1404, this section contained about 10,000 records and 30,000 digital files, including books, articles, manuscripts, research projects, and several specialized academic databases such as the Isfahan Studies Database,¹³ the Art and Architecture Database,¹⁴ and the Digital Archives and Manuscripts Database.¹⁵ A significant portion of the digital library’s sources consists of digitized materials from other major collections, including the libraries of Najaf (the ‛Allāme Amīnī Library and the Kāshef al-Gheṭāʾ Library), the Āstān-e Quds-e Raḍavī Library, the Library of the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majles), and the University of Tehran Library.¹⁶ On the other hand, the Treasury of Documents, Rare Works, and Manuscripts section of the Central Library is devoted to the preservation and revival of the written heritage. This section houses over 3,000 valuable printed titles, 1,500 lithographed and lead-type books, 221 manuscripts, and more than 15,000 pages of historical and administrative documents from the Qajar period. These materials reflect the cultural and historical legacy of Iran, and particularly of Isfahan during the Qajar era, and were donated to the Central Library by the family of Mīrzā Hasan Jāberī Anṣārī*, the historian and who was expert in Isfahan studies.¹⁷

With the completion and furnishing of the Central Library building, the collections of the Baladīyye Library were transferred to this new location. Toward the final stages of construction, a council titled the “Resources Procurement Council”, composed of subject specialists and chaired by Murtaḍā Teymūrī* was established. This council purchased the finest reference works and essential academic books for the library from eminent scholars and major private collectors of the city.¹⁸ Some of these collectors—who had all passed away at the time of writing this article—were Hussein Muhammad Shafī‛ī, Shahryār Naqavī, and Hūshang Elhām. Today, the library holds a collection of over 300,000 printed volumes, 15,000 reference books, and more than 10,000 old periodicals and newspapers.

It is noteworthy that the Central Library, by embodying the concept of socialization—that is, fostering acquaintance, dialogue, and the development of a shared collective identity—has played a significant role in enhancing the city’s collective cultural life. The library has become a lively space that encourages the active and enthusiastic participation of citizens, effectively contributing to the improvement of users’ information literacy and facilitating universal access to study sources. Through its wide range of programs, the library functions not merely as a public library but as a true multimedia center, providing optimal conditions for both general visitors and researchers. Among these programs are: information services and access to national and international academic and research databases; an interlibrary loan and cooperation program with Isfahan’s major universities; the Peyk-e Dānāʾī (“Messenger of Knowledge”) initiative, aimed at delivering books to the homes of the elderly and people with disabilities;¹⁹ the Library Tourism plan,  which allows domestic and international tourists to visit the library during designated hours while preserving the quiet environment; the Reading Club project, intended to encourage children and adolescents to develop the habit of reading; and joint cooperation schemes with other municipal organizations for establishing institutional libraries and providing technical services for their library resources. Thanks to its well-developed hardware and software infrastructure, the library offers the necessary facilities for academic research activities. The availability of research desks and dedicated study halls within the complex provides an ideal environment for conducting scientific and specialized research by scholars, researchers, and students.

/Tayyebeh Fatemi and Muhammad-Reza Keshani/

Bibliography

Buzurgtarīn ketābkhāne-ye ‛umūmī-ye ustān-e Esfahan eḥdāth khāhad shud. Rūznāmeh-ye Keyhān-e Havāʾī, no. 886, 4 July 1990/13 Tīr 1369.

Keshani, Muhammad-Reza and Sutūde, Mavlūd. fehrest-e ejmālī-ye asnād-e tārīkhī-ye dīvān-e ẓell al-sulṭān: dar ketābkhāne-ye dīgītāl;-e markazī-ye shahrdārī-ye Esfahan az sāl 1271–1336, vol. 1. Isfahan: Sāzmān-e Farhangī Tafrīhī-ye Shahrdārī, 2017/1396.

Keshani, Muhammad-Reza. “ketābkhāne-ye markazī va markaz-e eṭṭelā‛ resānī-ye shahrdārī-ye Isfahan.” Eṭṭelā‛yābī va Eṭṭelā‛ resānī, vol. 2, no. 10, August 2008/Murdād 1387.

Keshani, Muhammad-Reza. “ketābkhāne-ye ruqūmī-ye shahrdārī-ye Isfahan dar yek negāh.” Ketāb-e Māh-e Kullīyāt, vol. 16, no. 11, November 2013/Ābān 1392.

Ketābkhāne-ye dīgītāl-e shahrdārī-ye Isfahan. 2025/1404.
Retrieved Oct. 13, 2025, from https://dlim.isfahan.ir/Inventory/index_10802.htm

Khabarguzārī-ye Jumhūrī-ye Eslāmī (IRNA). 2003/1382.
Retrieved Oct. 12, 2025, from https://www.irna.ir/news/5500641

Khānīzād, Shahryār. ṭarāḥī-ye ketābkhāne (dar Iran va jahān): uṣūl va mabānī-ye me‛mārī va tarāḥī-ye dākhelī-ye ketābkhānehhā az kelāsīk tā mu‛āṣer. Tehran: Hunar-e Me‛mārī-ye Qarn, 2013/1392.

Makāremī, Muhammad-Reza (designer and sculptor of Ensān-e Kāmel). Interview by Tayyebeh Fatemi, 18 September 2025/28 Shahrīvar 1404.

Purīyā-ye Valī, Hūshang. “kharīdārī-ye zamīn-e khānum Bānū Amīn barā-ye sakhte ketābkhāne-ye markazī.” Interview by Tayyebeh Fatemi, 7 July 2025/17 Tīr 1404.

Qāne‛ī, Muhammad-Reza. “ketābkhāne-ye markazī-ye Isfahan.” Aparat, 2020/1399.
Retrieved Oct. 11, 2025, from https://www.aparat.com/v/LGvy4

Qāne‛ī, Muhammad-Reza. Interview by Tayyebeh Fatemi and Muhammad-Reza Keshani, July 2025/Tīr 1404.

Ṣalavātī, Faḍlullāh. “mubārez, mu‛allem, maktabī: Faḍlullāh Ṣalavātī az durān-e rīyāsat bar ketābkhānehhā-ye ‛umūmī-ye Esfahan mīgūyad.” Interview by Eḥsān Amīnī. Esfahan-e Zībā, vol. 16, no. 3890, 17 November 2020/27 Ābān 1399.

Ṣalavātī, Faḍlullāh. “tārīkh-e ketābkhānehhā-ye Esfahan, ketābkhāne-ye markazī-ye shahrdārī-ye Esfahan.” In zendegīnāme, muṣāḥabehā, maqālāt: Faḍlullāh Ṣalavātī, December 2024/Āzar 1403.
Retrieved Oct. 11, 2025, from https://salavati.blogsky.com/1403/09

Sheikh al-Eslām, Ali (project collaborator). Interview by Tayyebeh Fatemi and Muhammad-Reza Keshani, 6 September 2025/16 Shahrīvar 1404.

Sherāfat, Amīr-Hussein. “āshnāʾī bā ketābkhāne-ye markazī va markaz-e eṭṭelā‛ resānī-ye Esfahan.” Ketāb-e Māh-e Kullīyāt, vol. 8, no. 4, March 2005/Farvardīn 1384.

Teymūrī, Murtaḍā. “tārīkhche-ye ketābkhāne-ye baladīyye-ye Esfahan.” In majmū‛e-ye maqālāt-e hamāyesh-e yeksadumīn sālgard-e taʾsīs-e shahrdārīhā, comp. by Muhammad-Ali Chelūnagar. Isfahan: Sāzmān-e Farhangī Tafrīhī-ye Shahrdārī, 2012/1391.

1. médiathèque[↩]

1. Teymūrī, p. 133-134.[↩]
2. Ṣalavātī, 2020/1399, p. 6[↩]
3. Purīyā-ye Valī, Hūshang, interview dated 7 July 2025/17 Tīr 1404.[↩]
4. “Buzurgtarīn ketābkhāne-ye ‛umūmī-ye ustān-e Esfahan eḥdāth khāhad shud”, p. 20.[↩]
5. It appears that this interruption was related to changes in municipal administration.[↩]
6. Some members of this group included Ali Sheikh al-Eslām (project collaborator), Robert Keshīshīyn (technical assistant), Fereydun Bunekdārpūr (structural designer), Manūchehrī (mechanical installations), and Vāzīk Malakūmīyān (project collaborator). The contractor was the Pareh Construction Company. See also Sheikh al-Eslām, interview dated 6 September 2025/16 Shahrīvar 1404.[↩]
7. Sheikh al-Eslām, interview dated 6 September 2025/16 Shahrīvar 1404.[↩]
8. Teymūrī, Murtaḍā, p. 138; cf. Ṣalavātī, 2024/1403, who records the beginning and completion of construction as 1377 and 29 Bahman 1381 respectively.[↩]
9. Sherāfat, Amīr-Hussein, pp. 134–135.[↩]
10. Qāne‛ī, Muhammad-Reza, interview dated July 2025/Tīr 1404; see also Qāne‛ī, 2020/1399.[↩]
11. Sheikh al-Eslām, interview dated 6 September 2025/16 Shahrīvar 1404.[↩]
12. Khānīzād, Shahryār, p. 172.[↩]
13. Ketābkhāne-ye dīgītāl-e shahrdārī-ye Esfahan, 2025/1404.[↩]
14. Ibid.[↩]
15. Ibid.[↩]
16. Keshani, Muhammad-Reza, 2013/1392, pp. 97–98.[↩]
17. Keshani, Muhammad-Reza and Sutūde, Mawlūd, vol. 1, p. 13.[↩]
18. Ṣalavātī, Faḍlullāh, 2024/1403.[↩]
19. Keshani, Muhammad-Reza, 2008/1387, pp. 69–70.[↩]