Naqsh-e Jahan Square, with its vast dimensions, was the best place to play chogan (a traditional Iranian horse-riding game similar to polo).
In this game, two teams of six players on horseback tried to gain possession of the ball, using long rods with crooked heads, and shoot it into the other team’s goal.
Shah Abbas was so fond of this game that sometimes he himself entered the field as a player, and he always invited his guests to watch a game of chogan.
Another game called qapoq-andazi was also played in that field.
A long wooden column was installed in the middle of the field, and a golden ball or cup, or sometimes a fruit, was placed atop it.
Skilled riders and marksmen were to aim for the object whilst riding a horse, and whoever was able to bring it down, would win that valuable object as his prize, along with the honour of hosting the Shah and other courtiers at his home.
