Chaleshtor castle is a magnificent and beautiful building of the Qajar era. In this building, a combination of European and Iranian architecture used.
Chaleshtor was a governance center of Chaharmahal in the Safavid era. The Chaleshtor is controlled by the village sheriffs. In the middle of Nasir al-Din Shah's rule, Hossein Gholi Khan was appointed as Bakhtiari president. The previous rulers of this area were ousted and turned into big landowners.
The historical Chaleshtor castle, also known as the Khani castle, was built 110 years ago. The castle was built in such a way that the house of the ruler and the mosque were located in the middle of the castle and overlooked the four gates. At night, all four gates were closed to protect the castle. In one of the rock capitals of this complex, the date of its construction (in 1321 AH) is carved. Chaleshtor castle in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province is a combination of the architecture of the Qajar era and European. In the ancient castle, you can see the stone portal, the Khan house, the Andaruni (The interior part of the expensive houses in Iran that belonged to women and childre,n and servants), the bath, the warehouse, and the stables. The porch of the building has ten stone pillars.
The porch is decorated with bricks and mosaic tiles and painted patterns such as vine trees, flowers, and vases, flowers and chicken, and cedar and pine on it. The rooms of this castle are unique and decorated with paintings inspired by the style of British paintings. Another point of attraction can be pointed to the bathroom, which is made with turquoise and white tiles. All wooden structures of this building, including doors and windows of the rooms, are made of walnut wood. The Chaleshtor Castle has a total of five porches and five rooms in the andaruni, and 40 pillars were constructed to build it. This castle was registered as one of the national works of Iran in 2000.
Chaleshtor city is located 6 km north of Shahrekord (the capital of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province). The city's weather is cool and temperate in summer and is very cold in winter. The best time to travel to this city is mid-spring until late summer.
This castle is located in the middle of the Chaleshtor city. The Chaleshtor city is near Shahrekord and only 20 minutes distance by car. You can reach the city from Shahrekord city through Enghlab and Rahbar Blvd. This castle is located on Bastan Street.
“Oh! Squander not this breath that Heaven hath lent thee, Nor make too sure another breath to borrow!’” Khayam