Qavam House

 

Shiraz, Iran’s cultural capital, hosts a variety of traditional houses that reflect family structures, relationships, social manners, and characteristics of old Persian lifestyles. Qavam House ideally defines what the spirit of long-established Persian houses looks like and how they differ from the modern way of living. The first thing to note about such houses is privacy, which respects individuals’ zones, even when quite separate from family members. While social relations were warmer than today, personal spaces still played a pivotal role in Old Persian houses. Art and culture in Shiraz are actually understandable, friendly, and at the same time beautiful and charming. While it lacks the complexity of other Persian schools’ styles, it does offer a standard which I may refer to as “ Shirazism,” reflecting coziness, hospitality, perfection, and easygoingness. What the present article tries to reflect about Qavam House is the symbolic description of this specific school of art.

 

During the Qajar period, the governor of Fars, Qavam Al- Saltaneh, built a spectacular house in the posh place of Lotf- Ali Khan e Zand in 1878. The area was important as it was close to other remarkable places like the Darb Sheikh neighborhood on the farthest east side of Shiraz at that time. When he was appointed the governor of Fars province, he decided to build a house and live in the lovely city of Shiraz. The name of this specific residential house was “Bala-Kaft,” later called Qavam House or “Naranjestan-e Qavam”. Back to the word root, this means a garden that is full of sour orange trees. Qavam House, having a big yard full of sour orange trees, fits this suggestive name. Qavam House is thus highly symbolic. Not only does it signify the delicate fragrance of Shiraz orange blossoms, but also every single architectural art style is present and manifest in its external and internal structure. Immediately after entering the house, the aromatic smell of the orange trees intoxicates the visitors. A few steps following the entrance, you face a gallery of Shirazism including mosaics and stalactites, mirror work, brickwork, plaster stuccos, and fine paintings. This splendid house complex includes several sections connected to each other.

 

They consist of the inner courtyard, which is called “ Zinat Al Moluk private house, Gachineh bath house, Husseiniah Qavam, Maktabkhaneh Qavam (school), Divan khaneh or the courthouse, Qavam private bath house, stable, and Zanjir khaneh Qavam ( nothing left now from this section). The crown section of this house is a mirror portico that overlooks the garden filled with flowers, palm trees, and animating fountains. The artistic taste applied in this spectacular house is reflective of the prestige and elegance of the family indeed. The Qavam family was one of the high-ranking families during the Qajar dynasty who were powerful and influential in the court. They controlled Fars province and the surrounding areas during that era for a long time.

They were the grandchildren of Haj Ibrahim Khan Kalantar e Shirazi, who was a noble political leader of both Zand and Qajar kings. Haj Ibrahim Khan Kalantar e Shirazi and his forefathers were originally the chiefs of the ” Bala Kaft ” district of Shiraz, who became the confidants of Zand and Qajar kings following their faithful services to them. Most of the interesting places were constructed, designed, or even rebuilt by the members of this family in Shiraz. Among the amazing places we can name are: Afif Aad Garden, Eram Garden, Delgosha Garden, Kalantar Garden, BiglarBeigi Garden, Naranjestan Garden, Zinat Al-Moluk inner courtyard of Qavam Garden, Husseinieh Gavam.

Historically speaking, Haj Ibrahim e Kalantar was the governor of Karim Khan e Zand, betrayed Lotf-Ali Khan e Zand, and joined Aqa Mohhamd Khan e Qajar. As a reward, the Qajar king appointed him as the governor of Fars province. The next Qajar king, Fathali Shah, challenged him and ordered his execution. His only son, Ali Akbar Khan, who was saved because of his tuberculosis, reproached Fathali Shah for killing his family members, and the guilty-conscious Qajar king paid him back by offering him a rank as Qavam Al- Moluk and appointing him the governor of Fars. Following his death, his son started to build Qavam House. It had several parts, including the courtyard, which functioned for official and legal affairs. It was also very appropriate for reception ceremonies.

 

The design of this beautiful garden is quite symmetrical, as the usual style of Qajar architectural models and the artistic style of the mansion part are focally that of Zand’s pattern.  The forehead of the main entrance is a red marble stone with inscriptions dealing with the date of construction and the man who built it. There are different mansions on the northern, eastern, and southern sides of the garden. The main mansion, Makhtab khaneh (school), and Gachineh Bath house are the major buildings. The first one consists of twenty connected rooms, including the basement for storing goods, food, and an armory. The porch represents the iconic double-pillar style, which was the dominant trend during the Zand era. The inner decorations, including the engravings, mirror-works, plasters, and paintings, however, represent Qajar style. The rooms that are located on the upper level were meant for the guests, including the colorful glass shades and marble fireplaces with paintings of birds and flowers.

 

The northern side of the garden is actually the Qavam School area, where the building also includes the interior lobby and the kitchen. Gachineh Bathhouse, one of the five traditional bathhouses of Shiraz, was connected to the inner courtyard or Naranjestan by a passageway. The basement was also considered the summer residential hall for the family, with stone reticulated windows. The area between the major mansion and the one in the south is a lovely garden surrounded by fences. The central pool nicely reflects the building and the sour orange trees. The old palm trees also add to the specific culture of Fars’ beauty in this old-fashioned house. There are other buildings here as well, like the servant rooms and a building in the southern part that has alluring wooden pillars and a mirrored ceiling, very representative of Shirazi architectural style.

 

Just join us and see how the Qavam family enjoyed their affluent life in their lofty mansions.