Hasht Behesht or Hasht-Behesht (, also as Hašt-Behešt, ) is a 17th-century pavilion in
Isfahan
Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...
,
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
. It was built by the order of
Suleiman I, the eighth
shah
Shāh (; ) is a royal title meaning "king" in the Persian language.Yarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII, no. 1 (1989) Though chiefly associated with the monarchs of Iran, it was also used to refer to the leaders of numerous Per ...
of
Safavid Iran
The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the begi ...
, and functioned mainly as a private pavilion.
It is located in Isfahan's famous
Charbagh Street. It was also the first modern school in Isfahan called His Majesty's School (Madrese Homayouni).
Structure
As indicated on its name, the two-story pavilion of Hasht Behesht was built on the
hasht-behesht plan, that is a type of
floor plan
In architecture and building engineering, a floor plan is a technical drawing to scale, showing a view from above, of the relationships between rooms, spaces, traffic patterns, and other physical features at one level of a structure.
Dimensio ...
consisting of a central hall surrounded by eight rooms.
The building is of an octagonal shape,
and has two main entrances. Four larger sides of it feature large balconies (
iwan
An iwan (, , also as ''ivan'' or ''ivān''/''īvān'', , ) is a rectangular hall or space, usually vaulted, walled on three sides, with one end entirely open. The formal gateway to the iwan is called , a Persian term for a portal projecting ...
s), under which some tall and thin wooden columns are raised.
The pavilion is decorated with
mural
A mural is any piece of Graphic arts, graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage.
Word mural in art
The word ''mural'' ...
paintings, perforated woodwork, prismatic mirrors,
tile
Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, Rock (geology), stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, wal ...
work, and
plasterwork
Plasterwork is construction or ornamentation done with plaster, such as a layer of plaster on an interior or exterior wall structure, or plaster Molding (decorative), decorative moldings on ceilings or walls. This is also sometimes called parge ...
.
Gallery
Hasht Behesht, Outside perspective by Pascal Coste.jpg, An 1840 drawing of Hasht Behesht by French artist Pascal Coste
Hasht Behesht 007.jpg, Hasht Behesht seen from behind the pool
Hasht behesht palace (10).jpg, A room inside Hasht Behesht
Hasht behesht palace (19).jpg, Interior of a ceiling in Hasht Behesht
Mirsaeidhadian43.jpg, Interior of a ceiling in Hasht Behesht
Hasht behesht palace (7).jpg, Interior of a ceiling in Hasht Behesht
Hasht behesht palace (5).jpg, Interior of a ceiling in Hasht Behesht
Hasht-Behesht, North-Western View.jpg, An exterior view of Hasht Behesht
Hasht Behesht palace at night.jpg, Hasht Behesht at night
See also
*
Iranian Art Museum Garden
References
Bibliography
*
*
Buildings and structures in Isfahan
Historic house museums in Iran
Palaces in Iran
Persian gardens in Iran
1660s establishments in Iran
1669 establishments in Asia
Houses completed in 1669
Safavid architecture
Buildings and structures on the Iran National Heritage List
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