Zinat al-Molk House
As the private quarters of the Qavam complex next to the Narenjestan Mansion in the amazing city of Shiraz, the Zinat al-Molk House is a fabulous Qajar house in the Lotfali Khan Zand Avenue and the only house in Shiraz with a brick basement beneath its total surface.
Built in 1911-1923 and named after Mrs Zinat-ol-Molk, the daughter of Ghavam ol-Molk IV, the then Fars governor due to her kind and dignified manners, this beautiful castle has been built in a traditional style and includes a court yard, two gardens, a nice pool in the middle and fantastic rooms.
Entering through the mosaic door and passing a vestibule (an octagonal corridor), visitors will lead a corridor with the northeast angle to the courtyard flanked by 20 rooms which are beautifully adorned with wonderful paintings, mirror work and plaster work. The nested rooms in the first floor have been designed in a special way that without entering the yard, it is possible to have access to the northern room by passing through all rooms from the southern one.
Aside from the porch in the east of the yard without ceiling, the wooden ceilings of the rooms are decorated with paintings of animals, birds and plants while the western king hall’s decorations are marvelous showing the mixture of Iranian and European architectures.
On the top front side of the mansion, there is an eye-catching arch adorned with colorful and illustrated tiles showing the images of the sun, angels, and sword-holding lions.
Also, surrounding the courtyard, there are stone plinth walls in the form of lattice windows used for ventilating and lightning of the basement which is one of the special architectural designs of the building.
Today, the beautiful vast basement of the house has been repurposed in three angles as the treasury museum of the Persian History, showcasing the statues of all famous personalities of Shiraz in different periods which indeed constitutes one of the attractive sections of the site, making visitors get acquainted with some parts of Iran’s rich history.
Registered on the list of Iran’s National Heritage sites, the house is within a lane distance of the Narenjestan Mansion but they are interconnected by an underground passageway and it is truly worthy of visiting as much as the Narenjestan Garden, offering pleasant moments.
