Hasht Behesht (, ), literally meaning "the Eight Heavens" in Persian, is a 17th-century pavilion in Isfahan,

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkm ...

. It was built by order of Suleiman I, the eighth

shah Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...

of Iran's

Safavid Empire Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, '. was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often consi ...

, 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 was called His Majesty's School (Madrese Homayouni).

Structure

Hasht Behesht, Plan and section by Pascal Coste

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 ( fa, ایوان , ar, إيوان , also spelled ivan) 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 projectin ...

s), under which some tall and thin wooden columns are raised. The pavilion is decorated with

mural A mural is any piece of 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'' is a Spani ...

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, wa ...

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 decorative moldings on ceilings or walls. This is also sometimes called pargeting. The process of ...

Gallery

Hasht Behesht, Outside perspective by Pascal Coste.jpg, An 1840 drawing of Hasht Behesht by French artist

Pascal Coste Xavier Pascal Coste (26 November 1787 – 8 February 1879) was a French architect. He was at one time a personal architect for Muhammad Ali Pasha. As a seasoned traveller, his travels to Qajar Iran, aroused the interest of King Louis Philippe I a ...

. 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.

References

Bibliography

* * Buildings and structures in Isfahan Historic house museums in Iran Palaces in Iran Persian gardens in Iran 1669 establishments in Iran Houses completed in 1669 Safavid architecture {{Iran-stub

Structure

Gallery

See also

References

Bibliography