Chehel Sotun Palace, Isfahan

Chehel Sotun Palace, built by Shah Abbas I and later enhanced by Shah Abbas II, is known for its grand open porch and majestic royal park. Completed in 1647, it features six main wall paintings: four from the Safavid period depicting Shah Abbas I and II in various historical encounters, and two added later showing battles involving Shah Isma’il I and Nader Shah Afshar. Beneath these are smaller paintings in the style of Persian miniatures, restored after being covered during the Qajar period.

The palace is adorned with Safavid artifacts like carpets, armor, porcelain, and coins. Its elegant terrace, supported by slender wooden pillars, opens onto the gardens. The building, originally with twenty columns reflected in the park’s pool, is known as the “Pavilion with Forty Columns,” symbolizing respect and admiration in Persian culture.

The terrace, influenced by Eastern Asian architecture, boasts a wooden ceiling with intricate inlay work and is flanked by stone lion fountains. The back wall, doors, and pillars were once lavishly decorated with mirrors, carved wood, and colored paintings. Smaller genre paintings on the lower walls depict scenes of Persian life, set against backgrounds of rich colors and intricate patterns. Two smaller rooms, open to the garden, contain paintings believed to be portraits of ambassadors and display cases of Persian decorative items.