Esfahān or Isfahan (historically also rendered as Ispahan, Old Persian: Aspadana, Middle Persian: Spahān, Esfahān), located about 340 km south of Tehran at , is the capital of Esfahan Province and Iran's third largest city (after Tehran and Mashhad). Esfahan has a population of 1,600,554 (2007 calculation). Esfahan is located on the main north-south and east-west routes crossing Iran, and was once one of the largest cities in the world. It flourished from 1050 to 1722, particularly in the 16th century under the Safavid dynasty, when it became the capital of Persia for the second time in its history. Even today, the city retains much of its past glory. It is famous for its Islamic architecture, with many beautiful boulevards, covered bridges, palaces, mosques, and minarets. This led to the Persian proverb Esfahān nesf-e jahān ast: "Esfahan is half of the world".