Historic Merchant Mansions Tabatabaei and Borujerdi
Marvel at the Tabatabaei and Borujerdi historic houses of Kashan, extraordinary 19th-century merchant mansions where intricate plasterwork, stained glass wind catchers, mirror mosaics, and painted ceilings represent the apex of Qajar-period residential Persian architecture.
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Tabatabaei House Entrance
Enter the Tabatabaei House built in the 1880s for a wealthy carpet merchant, its impressive portal giving way to a sequence of courtyards and reception rooms where the elaboration of decorative treatment — from stucco muqarnas to painted wooden ceilings — demonstrates the wealth of Kashan's 19th-century merchant class.
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Wind Catcher Rooms
Stand beneath the wind catchers of the Tabatabaei House where the badgir towers channel prevailing winds down into the reception rooms, the cooling effect combined with the stained glass panels that color the entering light creating an interior environment of extraordinary sensory sophistication.
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Mirror Hall
Enter the mirror hall where the walls and ceiling are entirely covered in a mosaic of small mirror fragments set at varying angles, the effect transforming candlelight into a galaxy of reflections that made these reception rooms the most glamorous spaces in 19th-century provincial Iran.
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Borujerdi House
Cross to the Borujerdi House built around 1857, where the exterior facade of the wind catcher tower with its elaborate stucco decoration is visible above the old city streets, the house's five courtyards arranged from public to private in a sequence reflecting the strict spatial hierarchy of 19th-century Iranian domestic life.
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Borujerdi Ceiling Paintings
Admire the painted ceiling murals of the Borujerdi House where European landscape painting techniques — probably derived from French illustrations — are combined with traditional Persian decorative motifs in a hybrid style that characterizes the Qajar period's engagement with Western aesthetics.
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Rooftop Views
Climb to the accessible rooftops of the historic houses for views over the old city of Kashan where the wind tower silhouettes, the dome of the Friday Mosque, and the roofscape of the bazaar create a panorama of traditional Persian urban architecture from an elevated perspective.