When the name of the Chehel Sotoun palace comes out, people's thoughts turn to the Chehel Sotoun palace of Isfahan.
Today, we would like to invite you on a journey to the old capital of Iran. A city lies one hundred and five kilometers from Tehran, that has once 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 Qazvin.
Chehel Sotoun palace is also known as the 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, 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 the 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 with 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 389.
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 the Safavid architectural 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 glass. So, once the sunlight hits the stained glass, the entire building is flooded by a rainbow of colors.
There is a courtyard around the hall called Gholam Ghardesh. Gholam Ghardesh is a circular corridor or a pedestal around the dome, or a courtyard.
Among the other beauties of the Chehel Sotoun palace, we can mention the brick entrances. This mansion has several brick entrances that tiled with floral ceramics.
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 that 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 the Qazvin carpet instrument. It is the single instrument in the world that has all three types of musical instruments, including percussion, bowed, and plucked string instruments in one.
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