Eram Garden Idyllic
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Although the exact date of the garden’s construction is not known, historical evidence suggests it was constructed upon the order of Seljuk monarch Sultan Sanjar as many other gardens were established during his reign.
According to Presstv, like many other historical monuments in the southern city of Shiraz, it was restored and repaired by the Zand kings (1750-1794).
During the late Zand Dynasty, the garden was owned by Qashqaei tribal chiefs. A Qashqaei tribal chief, Mohammad Qoli Khan ordered the construction of the original mansion in the early eighteenth century, planting the garden with different trees, including cypress, pine, orange and persimmon trees.
During the reign of Nassereddin Shah of Qajar Dynasty, Mirza Hassan Ali Khan Nasir-ul Molk bought the gardens from Qashqaei tribes and constructed the present pavilion which was designed by a famous Shirazi architect, Mohammad Hassan.
The decoration of the pavilion was completed by Hassan Ali Khan’s son Abolqassem Khan who inherited the garden after his father.
The garden finally went to Abolqassem Khan’s son Abdullah Qavami who sold it to Qashqaei tribes once again.
The beautiful three-story pavilion of the garden was constructed according to Safavid and Qajar architectural style.
The lower story of the mansion has been particularly designed for relaxation during the hot summer days. The ceiling of this structure is beautifully adorned with colorful tiles. A small stream also passes through the story, connecting to a large pool in front of the building.
The middle story has a large veranda erected on two pillars behind which stands a magnificent hall. On the two sides of the hall are two corridors each having four rooms and two small terraces. The front sides of the pillars are decorated with tiles showing images of horse-riders and flowers.
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On the entablature of the building there are three arched (semi-circular, crescent-shaped) pediments ornamented with tilework.
The middle pediment, being larger than the other two, shows Nassereddin Shah (a famous Qajar king) riding on the back of a white horse.
Around this picture, some scenes based on storied from the works of Ferdowsi and Nezami (two famous poets) can be seen.
One of the small pediments represents an image of Darius the Great (the founder of the Achaemenid Dynasty) as represented in Persepolis monuments.
And finally the third pediment illustrates a deer being hunted by a panther.
The garden with its beautiful flowers, refreshing air, tall cypresses (a stately, beautiful cypress tree there known as sarv-e naz which is said to go back to 3,000 years ago) and fragrant myrtles is a major tourist destination particularly during spring.
Now a property of Shiraz University, it has been turned into a botanical garden and is open to the public as a museum. The mansion has also been assigned to the university’s Faculty of Law.
It has been named after a legendary garden called Eram in southern Arabia, built upon an order of Shaddad, an Arab king, to compete with Paradise.
