The Palace of Forty Columns

Palace of Forty Columns

The "Palace of Forty Columns" is a famous building in Isfahan. This palace is located in a large garden covering an area of 67,000 square meters. The garden was built by the -Shah, and the palace at its center was constructed in 1647 by his successor, the -Shah II, specifically for receiving and entertaining foreign guests. In front of the palace is a grand porch supported by 20 massive single wooden columns made from cypress wood. In front of the porch lies a pool that is 110 meters long and 16 meters wide, with water jetting out from the mouths of four lions placed at the bottom of the pool. The water is crystal clear and sparkles in the sunlight. The wooden columns are reflected in the water, creating the illusion of 20 more identical columns. It is this unique sight that gave the palace its name, the "Palace of Forty Columns." The interior walls and ceilings are adorned with mirrors, stained glass, and murals. Some depict historical scenes of battles between Persians and Uzbeks, Indians, and Turks; others show grand receptions of foreign envoys by the king; some portray social scenes of men dancing with women, and still others feature decorative patterns of animals and plants. Most of the murals are painted with fine brushwork, featuring clear and graceful lines. Palaces with exterior colonnades and interior murals existed as early as the 6th century BC during the Achaemenid dynasty. At that time, the capital city of Persepolis had a "Palace of Seventy-Two Columns" used for receiving guests and a "Hall of a Hundred Columns" for grand ceremonies. However, the columns in those palaces were all solid stone structures, unlike the Palace of Forty Columns, where half are real wooden columns and the other half are illusory reflections in the water. This interplay of the real and the unreal, the earthly and the submerged, these two worlds, invites deep contemplation.