Chehel Sotoun palace

When the name of the Chehel Sotoun palace comes out, people's thoughts turn to the Chehel Sotoun palace of Isfahan.

Capital near the capital
 

Today we would like to invite you to a journey to the old capital of Iran. A city lies one hundred and five kilometers from Tehran that has once been the capital of Iran. This city is Qazvin, which was the capital of Iran in the Safavid period for about one century. Due to its history, Qazvin has many historical and religious monuments. The historical mosques, waterfalls, bazaars, traditional houses, holy shrines, schools, gates, tombs, caravansaries, and mansions represent the history of this city. Upon this journey to Qazvin, we will introduce you to one of the masterpieces of architecture in the Safavid period. This mansion is left from the Safavid era, which shines in the heart of the Qazvin.

Chehel Sotoun palace is also known as Kolah Farangi mansion, located in the middle of a rectangular garden called Saadat Garden.

The king Tahmasp was resident in this palace when Qazvin was the capital of Iran. Although most of the historical quotations state that Chehel Sotoun palace and the surrounding garden were built on the orders of Shah Tahmasp, but some sources indicate that this palace was constructed during the reign of Shah Abbas the Great. Quoted as saying, the Hasht Behesht Palace was inspired by Chehel Sotoun palace as well.

Today, the Chehel Sotoun palace is used as the Museum of Calligraphy. This museum is a great showcase to see works of art of some Iranian calligraphers such as Maldi Dilami, Miramad Qazvini, Darvish Abdolmjid, Mohammad Hossein Emad Ketab and historical works and objects obtained from the palace. The mansion was registered in the year 1334 in the number 389 on the list of Iranian historical monuments. Chehel Sotoun palace was registered in Iran's Heritage list in 1955 with the number of 389.

The facade of Chehel Sotoun palace
 

When you visit the Chehel Sotoun palace for the first time, you will admire the magnificent brick porches with semi-circular arches. These porches, which form the first-floor facade, are designed with brick pillars. This part of the Chehel Sotoun palace has the advantage of Safavid-architecture style. So, it will be praised by visitors due to the elegant design.

The second floor was decorated with delicate wooden pillars, that date back to the Qajar era. The windows were designed with excellent stained glasses. So, once the sunlight hit the stained glass, the entire building is flooded by a rainbow of colors.

There is a courtyard around the hall that called Gholam Ghardesh. Gholam Ghardesh is a circular corridor or a pedestal around the dome, or courtyard.

Among the other beauties of the Chehel Sotoun palace, we can mention the brick entrances. This mansion has several brick entrances that tilled with floral ceramics.

Treasures of Chehel Sotoun palace
 

Before the Chehel Sotoun palace turned into a calligraphy museum, it was used as a museum of historical objects. Among the historical objects, there are objects date back to the third and first millennium BC (most pottery and bronze), as well as dishes and items related to the Islamic period up to the Qajar period.

When you enter the first floor of the Chehel Sotoun palace, you will see a work that looks like a carpet frame. Most likely, at first glance, you imagine that this carpet is one of the works of carpet weaving from the old era, but the truth is something else. In fact, this carpet frame is a musical instrument that is called Qazvin carpet instrument. It is the single instrument in the world, which has all three types of musical instruments, including percussion, bowed and plucked string instruments in one.

• What is the best time to go?
   

Due to the Qazvin is located in the mountainous region, the weather is pleasant during the summertime and freezing in winter. So, the best time to travel there start from April until September.

• Getting there?
  
  To reach the Chehel Sotoun palace, you should go to Imam Khomeini Street and the square of Sabzeh Meydan. This palace is located in the south of this square.
   
  • Visit cost:
    To visit the Chehel Sotoun palace and its calligraphy museum, you need to buy a ticket. The entrance fee for foreign visitors is 80,000 IRR.
     
  • Visiting hour:
    9:00 AM – 5:30 PM