I have written on my profile that I am an architect. I wonder if I am a real one when I am in a place like this. This is not a pessimistic idea, because they make me understand that the secret lies inside us, no where oustside. See inside and you'll see the whole world, the whole, just a little more. This is architecture, see the world, the whole world, just a little more. Is it very simple? Is it very difficult?
This is a partial view showing a detail of the painting in my previous post. Here you see Tahmasb I, the Safavid king of Iran in the 16th and Homayun, the Mogul king of India which came to Iran as a refugee.
I hope that I haven't made you sick by posting too much of a the same subject.
The painting shows Shah-Abbas II (the Safavid king) accepting the King of India in a formal ceremony. There are severl very fine paintings in this palace.
The great American architect, Louis Kahn, used to say that architecture is making a world within the world. That was going on my mind when taking this photo from a church in Isfahan.
Looking from the balcony to the garden, court, and pool. I forgot to write about the interesting story about the name of the building. The balcony has 20 columns which their reflection in the pool water creates 20 more columns, so one would see 40 columns when he is in the other side of the court. And the name of the building (Chehel-Sotoon) verbally means 40 columns.
Another view of the roof of the balcony. It's like a sheltering with the sun in the middle and lots of stars surrounding it.
Chehehl-Sotoon Palace is a Safavid (a6th century) monument in the Royal Quarter of Isfahan. Chehel-Sotoon literally means "40 columns".
The open terrace of the historic Mostofi House with the picturesque view of Shadorvan (from my previous post).
Shadorvan is a bridge and barrage in north of Shushtar. It spans Shoteit (a branch of the greater Karun). It is believed to be a Sassanid bridge but it has been rebuilt and restored more than several times during its long life. Several bays of the 500 meter collapsed during the last 150 years.
A view of one the water wells which directs water to the watermill about 2.5 meters lower. There are about 30 water wells like this in the complex in the previous post. Its really amazing when you stand so close (even much closer than what you see here) to water falling down with great power and sound.
A panoramic view of the watermills complex. I have posted a few pictures of the watermills here in February 2006. The watermills are a part of a huge water supply plan in north of Khuzestan State on the river of Karun which was started in Achamenian era (circa 600 BC) and vastly developed in Sassanid era (224-651 AD). Shushtar is very close to Shush (also written as Susa by French archeologists)the capital of Elamites (circa 5500-1000 BC). Therefore we are looking forward to finding Elamite traces near the water structures. Some historians say that when Shapur the Great, the Sassanid emprore, captivated Valerianus, the Roman emprore, with about 70000 of the Roman army in Edessa war, he used their skill in rebuilding the bridges, barrages, and water canals in Shushtar. I have posted a picture of a relief showing the story of Shapur and Valerianus before (here) but as far as I know the story of Valerianus being in Shushtar is not scientifically accepted yet.
