The Ali Qapu portal is one of the most spectacular and most important historical attractions of Qazvin located along Sepah Boulevard.
Qazvin is one of the historical cities in Iran and has many tourist attractions to see. By strolling along the streets of this city, many monuments draw your attention. One of the most famous and spectacular historical attractions of Qazvin is Ali Qapu portal. You will praise it when your eyes are sewn to the beauties of this portal!
The royal complex of King Tahmasp was a collection of palaces in Qazvin, which during the Safavid era covered a large area of the city. A complex of palaces that had seven portals and of which one was known as the Ali Qapu portal. Ali Qapu portal and Chehel Sotoun palace are the only monuments left from the Safavid palaces of Qazvin.
The Ali Qapu portal dates back to the Safavid period and the year 923 SH. This portal overlooked the Shah's street and the Shah's Square in the past. On this site, there was a historical collection called Saadatabad, from which the Ali Qapu portal is a remnant from that era. This portal has a tall and impressive gate that overlooks Shohaday-e Qazvin Street or Sepah Boulevard.
Ali Qapu was first constructed in the era of King Tahmasp, and some changes occurred during Shah Abbas I to turn it into the current form. During the Nasir al-Din Shah Qajar, some renovations were carried out on the structure, and various parts of it were extended. The Ali Qapu portal has been decorated extensively with Safavid architecture elements. On top of this portal, you can see the beautiful patterns on which designed with a smooth line of plaster.
The Ali Qapu portal is a magnificent monument with a height of 17 meters that is designed with eye-catching mosaic tiles on top of it. These mosaic tiles, which were designed with Thuluth script (Thuluth is one of the scripts of Islamic calligraphy), were written by Ali Reza Abbasi, a well-known calligrapher of the Safavid period. Another attractive feature of this portal is a tiled window. This grid-shaped window is installed at the top of the mosaic tiles.
When you pass through the gate, a Hashti with two chambers can be seen on both sides. Hashti is an indoor space in Islamic architecture that connects the alley to the courtyard of the house. These chambers used to be the gatekeeper's place in the past. But later in the Qajar era, these chambers changed to the tea house and reading room.
The Azareh of the Ali Qapu portal was covered with colorful glazed tiles, and the other portions are covered with impressive plasterwork. Azareh is a solid cover that is used as a protective cover for the wall. It is a decorative and construction element that is observed in most Iranian monuments. Before the Persian Constitutional Revolution, there was a Rakht Shooyeh (A traditional place for washing clothes) on the eastern side of this portal that changed to a school about 80 years ago. This school was one of the first modern schools in Iran, called Omid (hope) school.
The Ali Qapu portal, which was a police station for more than 40 years, is now in the possession of the Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran to preserve the remains of the Safavid era.
Due to Qazvin's location in the mountainous region, the weather is pleasant during the summertime and freezing in winter. So, the best time to travel there is from April to September.
“Oh! Squander not this breath that Heaven hath lent thee, Nor make too sure another breath to borrow!’” Khayam