Qavam House (also widely called, Narenjestan-e Ghavam) is a traditional and historical house and garden in

Shiraz, Iran Shiraz (; fa, شیراز, Širâz ) is the fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars Province, which has been historically known as Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the population of the city was 1,565,572 p ...

, built between 1879 and 1886. The building preserves the elegance and refinement enjoyed by the upper-class families during the 19th century. The paintings on the low ceilings of the house are inspired by

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

-era Europe. The mirrored porch was a focal point of the house, overlooking a small garden that was designed with fountains,

date palm ''Phoenix dactylifera'', commonly known as date or date palm, is a flowering plant species in the palm family, Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit called dates. The species is widely cultivated across northern Africa, the Middle Eas ...

s, and flowering plants. During the second Pahlavi era, the House became the headquarters of

Pahlavi University Shiraz University ( fa, دانشگاه شیراز ''Dāneshgāh-e-Shirāz'', formerly known as Pahlavi University دانشگاه پهلوی ''Dāneshgāh-e Pahlavi'') is a public university located in Shiraz, Fars, Iran, established in 1946. ...

Asia Institute The Asia Institute (1928–1979) was an American organization in support of research and interest in Persian art and archaeology; and starting in 1964 it was funded by the Pahlavi-era Iran. Two remnants from the Asia Institute are the ''Bulletin ...

, directed by

Arthur Upham Pope Arthur Upham Pope (February 7, 1881 – September 3, 1969) was an American scholar, art historian, and architecture historian. He was an expert on historical Persian art, and he was the editor of the ''Survey of Persian Art'' (1939). Pope was also ...

, and later

Richard Nelson Frye Richard Nelson Frye (January 10, 1920 – March 27, 2014) was an American scholar of Iranian and Central Asian studies, and Aga Khan Professor Emeritus of Iranian Studies at Harvard University. His professional areas of interest were Iranian ...

. Frye and his family also lived in the house. The house and gardens are now a

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

and are open to the public.

Architecture

It was built between 1879 and 1886Iran Museums: Fars Province (Shiraz), "Narenjestan Garden and Museum"
/ref> by Mirza Ibrahim Khan. The

Qavam family The Ghavam (Qavam) family ( fa, خاندان قوام شیرازی) was one of the most influential Iranian families in the Qajar dynasty, Qajar era (1785–1925). They were descendants of Haj Ebrahim Khan Kalantar. Many sources such as British secr ...

were merchants originally from

Qazvin Qazvin (; fa, قزوین, , also Romanized as ''Qazvīn'', ''Qazwin'', ''Kazvin'', ''Kasvin'', ''Caspin'', ''Casbin'', ''Casbeen'', or ''Ghazvin'') is the largest city and capital of the Province of Qazvin in Iran. Qazvin was a capital of the ...

, but they soon became active in the government during the

Zand dynasty The Zand dynasty ( fa, سلسله زندیه, ') was an Iranian dynasty, founded by Karim Khan Zand (1751–1779) that initially ruled southern and central Iran in the 18th century. It later quickly came to expand to include much of the rest of ...

, followed by the

Qajar Qajar Iran (), also referred to as Qajar Persia, the Qajar Empire, '. Sublime State of Persia, officially the Sublime State of Iran ( fa, دولت علیّه ایران ') and also known then as the Guarded Domains of Iran ( fa, ممالک م ...

, and

Pahlavi dynasty The Pahlavi dynasty ( fa, دودمان پهلوی) was the last Iranian royal dynasty, ruling for almost 54 years between 1925 and 1979. The dynasty was founded by Reza Shah Pahlavi, a non-aristocratic Mazanderani soldier in modern times, who ...

as well. The building stands two meters above the yard and is mainly made of bricks. it has an elaborate architecture embellished with various Persian arts such as paintings,

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

wood carving Wood carving is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation ...

, stone carving, tile work, and mirror work. it consists of a porch (

iwan An iwan ( fa, ایوان , ar, إيوان , also spelled ivan) is a rectangular hall or space, usually vaulted, walled on three sides, with one end entirely open. The formal gateway to the iwan is called , a Persian term for a portal projecting ...

) made out of stone, which has a fabulous decorations on its ceiling and walls. On both sided of the porch, there are symmetrical decorated rooms as well. A stone pool in addition to date and sour orange trees and palm trees are facing the building which are the specific features and style of Persian gardens. The basement of the monument displays a variety of colorful glasses. It was designed and built elaborately to provide a cool atmosphere throughout the hot summer days of Shiraz.

Gardens

Narenjestan garden is a great sample of gorgeous

Persian gardens The tradition and style of garden design represented by Persian gardens or Iranian gardens ( fa, باغ ایرانی), an example of the paradise garden, has influenced the design of gardens from Andalusia to India and beyond. The gardens of the A ...

of Iran. Persian gardens generally have a rectangular form consisting of four quarters abundant in trees and flowers, streams and pathways, ponds and fountains, a central pavilion, and the walls surrounding the garden. The complex consists of two parts, northern and southern wings. It has been constructed by artisans of Shiraz over 3,500 square meters of land with total foundation area of 940 square meters. File:Narenjestan-Shiraz.jpg, Interior of the house File:Qavam House, Shiraz 06.jpg, Interior of the house File:Qavam House, Shiraz 07.jpg, Interior of the house File:Deevar qavam.jpg, Wall painting depicting three Qajari figures. File:Narenjestan e Ghavam (18864042081).jpg, View from the garden File:Qavam House, Shiraz 02.jpg, Yard and the building in Spring. File:Qavam Garden, Shiraz 01.jpg, View of the garden from the house. File:Nāranjestān-e Ghavām.jpg, Pool and stone facade.

References

External links

Pictures For narenjestan qavam
Houses completed in 1886 Buildings and structures in Shiraz Persian gardens in Iran Architecture in Iran Houses in Iran Museums in Iran Tourist attractions in Shiraz Buildings of the Qajar period {{Iran-struct-stub

Architecture

Gardens

See also

References

External links