The Chehel Sotoun Palace

The Chehel Sotoun Palace is one of the historical landmarks of Isfahan. Covering an area of over 67,000 square meters, its construction began during the reign of Shah Abbas I. It features a large north and south hall, mirror halls, side porches of the royal hall, and a large pool in front of the hall, all adorned with intricate paintings, mirror work, and tile work on the walls and ceilings. Initially, there were paintings instead of mirrors, but after the palace caught fire and was cleaned from the soot, part of the porch ceiling was replaced with silver mirrors instead of mercury ones. The notable features of the Chehel Sotoun Palace include the 18-column hall, the mirror hall with stone lion sculptures at each corner of the central pool, exquisite goldsmithing and paintings in the royal hall, and a portrait of Shah Abbas with a distinctive crown. There are also depictions of the palace’s door headers, such as the one in the Qotbiyeh Mosque, the corner door headers of the Kooshk Gate, and works from the Joubareh Gate Mosque and the Aghaasi Mosque installed on the walls of the western and southern sides of the garden.