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Kashan

View up toward ceiling of one of Kashan's many houses. Built by Ostad Ali Maryam in the 1800s.
View up toward ceiling of one of Kashan's many houses. Built by Ostad Ali Maryam in the 1800s.
Kashan is a city in the province of Isfahan, Iran. The name of the city comes from the word "Kashi", the Persian word for tile. Kashan is the first of the large oases along the Qom-Kerman road which runs along the edge of the central deserts of Iran. Its charm is thus mainly due to the contrast between the parched immensities of the deserts and the greenery of the well-tended oasis.

Archeological discoveries in the Sialk Hillocks which lie 4 km west of Kashan reveal that this region was one of the primary centers of civilization in pre-historic ages. Hence Kashan dates back to the Elamite period of Iran. The Sialk ziggurat still stands today in the suburbs of Kashan after 7000 years. It was from here where the three wise men of the Bible came from.

The artifacts uncovered at Sialk reside in the Louvre in Paris and the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as in Iran's National Museum .

Sultan Malik Shah I of the Seljukian dynasty ordered the building of a fortress in the middle of Kashan in the 12th century. The fortress walls, called Ghal'eh Jalali still stand today in central Kashan.

Kashan was also a leisure vacation spot for Safavi Kings as well. Bagh-e Fin garden, specifically, is one of the most famous gardens of Iran. This beautiful garden with its pool and orchards was designed for Shah Abbas I as a classical Persian vision of paradise. The original Safavid buildings have been substantially replaced and rebuilt by the Qajar dynasty although the layout of trees and marble basins is close to the original. The garden itself however, was first founded 7000 years ago alongside the Cheshmeh-ye-Soleiman. The garden is also notorious as the sight of the murder of Mirza Taghi Khan known as Amir Kabir, chancellor of Naser o-Din Shah , Iran's King in 1852.

The earthquake of 1778 leveled the city of Kashan and all the edifices of Shah Abbas Safavi, leaving 8000 casualties. But the city started afresh however, and has today become a focal tourist attrcation via the numerous large houses from the 18th and 19th centuries, illustrating the finest examples of Qajari aesthetics.

Kashan is internationally famous for manufacturing carpets, silk and other textiles.

Among Kashan's architectural masterpieces are:

Madreseh ye Agha Bozorg, late 1700s. Kashan. Iran.
Madreseh ye Agha Bozorg, late 1700s. Kashan. Iran.
  1. Agha Bozorg Mosque (late 1700s). This mosque and theological school is located in the center of Kashan. The mosque consists of two large "eivan"s, one in front of the "mihrab" and the other by the entrance. The courtyard has a second court in the middle which comprised of a garden with trees and a fountain. Surrounding the courtyard are arcades. The eivan in front of mehrab has two minarets with a brick dome. The colors of arcades and eivan are restricted to blue, red, or yellow against a brick ground. It was here where Ostad Ali Maryam started his career as a brilliant architect.
    Borujerdi-Ha House, 1857. Built by Ostad Ali Maryam.
    Borujerdi-Ha House, 1857. Built by Ostad Ali Maryam.
  2. Boroujerdi Residence (1857). This house was built in 1857 for a bride. It consists of a beautiful courtyard, delightful wall paintings by the royal painter Kamal-ol-molk, and very unusual wind towers which help cool the house to unusual temperatures. It took 18 years to build using 150 craftsmen. A true masterpiece of Persian architecture.
    Tabatabaei House, 1840s. Built by Ostad Ali Maryam.
    Tabatabaei House, 1840s. Built by Ostad Ali Maryam.
  3. Tabatabaie Residence (1840s). This house was built in the early 19th century and consists of multiple beautiful courtyards with elegant stained glass windows. The house belonged to a wealthy rug merchant.
  4. Ameri-Ha House
  5. Abbasian House
  6. Sharifian House
  7. Al-e-Yaseen House
  8. Sultan Amir Shrine
  9. Sultan Amir Bath
  10. 40 Dokhtaran Fortress
  11. Abu Lu Lu Shrine (the assasin of Islam's second Caliph)
  12. Fin Garden
  13. Silak Ziggurat
  14. Ghal'eh jalali
  15. Kashan Bazaar
  16. Timcheh Amin-o-dowleh


Last updated: 05-03-2005 17:50:55