Chehel Sotun The paintings of the western wall (opposite the entrance) depict, from right to left. the following subjects: The feast given by Shah Abbas the Great in honor of King Vali Mohammad Khan of Turkestan. This is a clear and picturesque portrayal of the ostentation of the Esfahan court. The battle of Chaldoran between the troops of Shah Ismail r Safavid and the Ot-toman Janissaries. The reception given by Shah [...]
Chehel Sotun Chehel Sotun, Hasht Behesht, and Talar-e Ashraf, along with several other, less sumptuous buildings are the few survivors of the magnificent compound of Safavid palaces which used to occupy a vast area from Naqsh-e Jahan Square to Chahar Bagh Avenue. These palaces stand amid . superb parkland, which, however, has been largely diminished compared to the original garden of Jahan Nama that had been planted there by Shah Ismail Safavid. Today the original plan of the park and [...]
Ali Qapu The royal staircase, added during the rule of Shah Abbas II, is 1.4 m wide and has 118 steps; this staircase was used during the monarch’s public receptions. The first two floors of the present structure totally lack the ornamentation because little has survived the vandalism of visitors to the palace immediately after the Islamic Revolution. Only a pattern of the fine curtains – the conspicuous feature of all Safavid palaces – is discernible on the dados. However, [...]
Ali Qapu The royal palace of Ali Qapu dominates the western side of Naqsh-e Iahan Square. The palace was founded in 1597, duing the 11th year of Shah Abbas’s reign, to serve as his place of residence. The palace was eventually created on the site of a garden pavilion that most historians attribute to the Timurid period. At Shah Abbas’s order, the Timurid structure was rebuilt and expanded. At this stage, the palace consisted of four floors and a hypostyle [...]
