tabatabaei house

Tabatabaei House is one of the best examples of Persian architecture in the city of Kashan. The 19th century mansion was once the residence of the affluent and well-known Tabatabaei family. The beautiful mansion was designed and built by prominent Iranian architect Ustad Ali Maryam in 1880. Ustad Ali Maryam has also built other remarkable buildings in Kashan including the famous Borujerdi House and Timche-ye Amin od-Dowleh in the city’s old bazaar.

It is interesting to know that there is a love story behind the construction of Tabatabaei House. In fact, Seyed Jafar Tabatabaei wanted to show his endless love to his wife by building a fascinating house in Kashan.

The mansion occupies an area of 5,000 square meters. There is a central courtyard which features a large pool and beautiful gardens. The mansion has forty rooms, four courtyards, four cellars, three wind towers and two qanats. Walls and portals in Tabatabaei House boast ornate plasterwork and beautiful paintings by the pupils of the famous painter Sani ol Molk.

Visitors can find spectacular designs and shapes in the decorations on the walls. Many designs were inspired by the mythical bird of Iranian legends Homa because the name of Tabatabaei’s wife was Homa.

Tabatabaei House is in Kashan’s Sultan Amir Ahmad neighborhood. It is the city’s old neighborhood which hosts other historical buildings including Borujerdis House and Abbasi House.

While historical houses can be found in many cities in Iran, Kashan is one place where you can visit a handful of beautiful monuments within walking distance from each other. Therefore, it is definitely worth to dedicate at least half a day to see Kashan’s historical houses, especially Tabatabaei House.