Hasht Behesht Palace

Iran, Iran

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Hasht Behesht Palace (meaning “Eight Paradises”) is a historic Safavid-era pavilion and palace in Isfahan, Iran, built under Shah Suleiman I and completed in 1669, located on the western side of Chahar Bagh Street in a large garden that was once part of the old Naghsh-e Jahan (Nightingale) Garden launched by Shah Ismail I. The building is a two-story octagonal structure raised about two meters above the ground, with a central octagonal hall surrounded by eight rooms arranged in the classic Persian “hasht-behesht” plan, which in Islamic symbolism can represent the eight levels of Paradise, and each of its four main façades opens onto spacious balconies (iwans) supported by tall, slender wooden columns. According to tradition, the palace once served as a residence for the eight wives of Shah Abbas, with four queens on each floor, and it was also used as a private royal pavilion and later, in the 19th century, as the first modern school in Isfahan (Madrese-ye Homayouni) before being restored and transferred to the Ministry of Culture in 1964. Today, Hasht Behesht Palace is a well-preserved Safavid monument celebrated for its intricate plasterwork, woodwork, and colorful murals that cover walls and ceilings while retaining a relatively simple, domestic scale, and it remains an accessible cultural site where visitors can see its symmetrical central hall, upper and lower pools, and softly shaded garden setting.