Hasht Behesht Palace
Hasht Behest Palace, or The Palace of Eight Heavens, was constructed during the 17th century in Isfahan and has been called “The Most Beautiful Palace of the World” for a long time. The palace was built during the kingdom of Shah Soleiman in the Safavid era. The foreign travelers, who let to visit this palace wonderfully confessed that this is far more luxurious and illustrious that the grand European palaces. “ Hasht Behesht” in the Persian language word etymology, means the very entrance door to the heavens. The fame and beauty of this historical city, Isfahan, which owes a lot to the Safavid Empire, depends on the grandeur and charm of the palaces and gardens, Hasht Behesht is one of the most prominent.
After nominating Isfahan as the capital of the Safavid Empire, King Abbass, the first Safavid Sultan, ordered the construction of a long avenue, named Four Garden Avenue, with several gardens. Unfortunately, nothing has been left from these gardens except those of Hasht Behesht (Eight Heaven) and Chehel Setoon (Forthy Column) gardens. It is amazing to know several historians believe that the name Hasht Behest, refers to the historical fact that King Soleiman from Safavid royal household considered the palace as the lodging place or Harem for his eight favorite wives.
Hasht Behesht Palace
During Qajar Period, this palace and its garden were dedicated to the First Lady, Iftikhar Al- Dulah, and during Pahlavi time, its function changed to a public park. It was exactly during this time that the Ministry of Archeology started to repair the building’s plastering works with the help of Italian and Iranian architects. The fame and glory of this palace are so universally known that the name has been mentioned several times in the books and poems of many travelers like that of Muhamad Tahir Nasrabadi.
Hasht Behest Palace, which is also called the palace garden of the nightingales, is in the west wing of Four Garden Avenue (Chahar Baagh Avenue). In the very middle of the nightingale garden, Hasht Behest Palace has a two-story building, which has been erected at a height of two meters from the garden ground, built upon white Tabriz Marbles. The building is thirty meters high, having a great view of the garden. The guests can enter the garden from two staircases on the two main sides of the building. Up there, you’ll get to the grand patio, where two tall wooden columns majestically stand to create a legendary grandeur.
There are alluring colorful plastering works done on these wooden pillars. The central core of the building had been constructed in four phases with a veranda northward. The grand ceiling is covered with unique vibrant plastering art called “Moqarnas” in Persian. There are four rooms in the four corners of the building with grandiose paintings. In the second story, there are decorative arches, patios, rooms, and artistically shaped windows that have added to the vivid attraction of the palace. This level leads the visitors to the corridors and chambers filled with dazzling ornaments. Surprisingly, there are a water-view and a fireplace in the rooms. The walls are all covered by artistic mirror works.
If you just look at the high ceiling, you would see a gallery of mosaic and plastering works that are amazing. Wonderfully, they are mixed with golden artwork, colorful glasses, and mirrors. Looking carefully at the paintings, one of them shows the historical moment of Fath Ali Shah’s coronation scene with his sons. Although there are various decorations in different styles, there is a unique unity of fashion manifest in the building. Unfortunately, there is nothing left from the wooden fences, crystal frames, and colorful glassworks, but the mosaic works still exist in a variety of contents like the birds, and the hunting scenes. The building generally has four sides all different in design but unified in style.
The very style of architecture is that of Persian flat garden palaces very similar to that of Ali Qapu and Chehel Setoon Palace. Looking at the palace building from the long shot, it sounds octagonal. This makes the building have four exterior sides. The main side is in front of the garden pool. In the center of the building hall, there is an octagonal basin amazingly built of white marble that is called “ the Pearl Marble Basin”. The basin has been carved artistically and water flows from the nooks and crannies of the carved holes like the pearls coming out of the shells.
A reticulated ceiling that is covered with golden mosaics shines exactly on top of the octagonal marble basin on the floor. Persian lazuli mosaic pieces are lustrously glazed in between the orange background tiles. The depth of the dome part of the ceiling is harmoniously silvery white quite matched with the marble basin below. The surrounding area that is unequally planted is the favorite resort of the Isfahani people. The old pine trees are orderly in line with the central garden pool standing as royal canopies above the benches the visitors take shelter in. It is noteworthy to see how Sharden, the famous traveler has described Hasht Behesht Palace:
I have promised to describe Hasht Behesht Palace, from the so-called Nightingale Garden, in detail. This building is called Behesht or Heaven. And Heaven as they believe is the tenth level of the sky. That is why they can consider the palace as the gateway to Heavens. This structure is really like a labyrinth where you might confuse finding the right direction as the stairways are so hidden from your sight. Here, the frames are silvery and the glasses are of fine colorful crystals.
Considering the decorations, no one can even imagine such mesmerizing glory. The mirror works are unique indeed. The rooms are eye-catching because of the bed linens and the royal mattresses which costs a lot. The blanket was made of Marten’s skin to keep the royal family warm enough during the winter. It has been said that the king himself had several of these. What a great honor for every Iranian that decades ago a European traveler had been surprised by merely looking at just one of the Persian wonderful arts in the heart of Persian culture and civilization, Isfahan.