Chehel Sotoun (also Chehel Sotoon) is a pavilion in the middle of a park at the far end of a long pool, in Isfahan built by Shah Abbas II to be used for the Shah’s entertainment and receptions. In this palace, Shah Abbas II and his successors would receive dignitaries and ambassadors, either on the […]
The glories and excesses of the Qajar rulers are played out across this complex of grand buildings decorated with beautifully painted tiles and set around an elegant garden that’s worth visiting in its own right. There are separate tickets for nine different sections, which you need to buy at the gate: the ones worth paying […]
You might be surprised to find a Christian church in Iran. But I learned that several Christian enclaves exist peacefully inside the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Vank Cathedral in the Jolfa Armenian quarter of Isfahan is a gorgeous fusion of Armenian and Islamic architecture. Corridors of successive arches – a hallmark of Islamic architecture […]
The art of carpet weaving in Iran originated more than 2,500 years ago. Persian carpets and rugs were initially woven as articles of necessity to cover the floors of nomadic tribesmen, giving them protection from the cold and damp. The natural progression of the skill and craft involved in the creation of these works of […]
