Key features and highlights

Chehel Sotoun of Qazvin, originally called the Kolah Farangi Pavilion, was created during the reign of Shah Tahmasp when Qazvin served as the Safavid capital. Its octagonal form, surrounding garden relationship and layered wall paintings express the court culture of the period. The building later changed during Qajar restoration and now houses a calligraphy museum. It should not be confused with the palace of the same name in Isfahan.

To understand the place more fully, observe its defining details: landform, scenery and vegetation at natural sites, or planning, materials, decoration and engineering at historic monuments. These features show how natural forces or builders responded to climate and setting. Do not touch fragile surfaces, cross barriers or enter closed and unstable areas.