Chehel Sotun, Royal palace in Isfahan, Iran
Chehel Sotun is a 17th-century pavilion in District 3 of Isfahan, Iran, now serving as a museum for Safavid art. The entrance hall opens onto a long water pool, surrounded by gardens and tall trees.
Shah Abbas II ordered the pavilion built around 1647 to receive foreign envoys. A fire damaged parts of the complex in the 18th century, but the main structures remained standing.
The name refers to forty columns, though only twenty stand, because their number doubles in the reflecting pool. Visitors admire the colorful wall paintings showing royal banquets and court ceremonies.
The pavilion opens daily in the morning and closes in the late afternoon, with guided tours in several languages. The main hall is accessible without steps, while the upper floor requires climbing stairs.
The mirror work inside combines glass, plaster, and gold leaf into patterns that shift with daylight. Artisans worked several years on these delicate decorations.
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