The Palace of the Sun

The Palace of the Sun or Khorshid palace is one of the most beautiful palaces in Iran, which was built by the order of Nader Shah Afshar in 1108 in Kalat Naderi in Mashhad. This beautiful building is also known as Kalat Palace and Nader Palace. This mansion is considered one of the most important tourist attractions in Kalat Naderi city and Khorasan province. Khurshid Mansion is a three-story structure with unique architecture, which is located in an open garden. The Palace of the Sun is one of the registered national works of Iran.

History

This palace was built by the order of Nader Shah to keep the treasury and treasures obtained by him from the conquests in the Naderi fortress or Kalat. The construction of this mansion continued during the reign of Nader Shah Afshar, but Nader Shah was killed before it was completed. The beautiful inscription of Tholth is located in the surrounding area of ​​the dome, on which one of the surahs of the Quran is written. After the death of Nader Shah and the fall of the Afshariya dynasty, this mansion remained unused for a long time. Finally, during the Qajar era, many changes were made in this palace to use it for living.

The architecture of the Palace of the Sun

The Palace of the Sun is built in the middle of a large garden and includes a three-story building. Its height was about 25 meters in the past, but now, due to the damage to the third floor, its height is not more than 20 meters. The first floor is octagonal and is built on four rows of stairs in the shape of a pyramid. The entrances of the palace are located on the octagonal sides that lead to the main hall of the palace.

With the influence he had in India, Nadershah Afshar took help from the best Indian masons in the construction of this mansion. The lower floor of this palace was the storage place for Nader Shah Afshar’s treasures. The first floor of the building was built on four rows of pyramidal stairs and was accessed through the main hall. On the second floor, a large hall with gilded decorations can be seen, which was decorated according to the Safavid style of architecture. The third floor of the Khurshid mansion is built with 66 half-stone columns in a cylindrical shape and is considered the most important and prominent part of the mansion.

The Palace of the Sun has a total of 12 rooms, and each room is decorated with paintings and stucco. Until a few decades ago, among these decorations, there were pictures of rare princes. In the middle of this octagonal building, there is a two-story cylindrical tower that was the residence of the king and his family. The beauty of this palace is more in the external facade of the building, where Gurkan-Indian architecture is visible. The inside of the rooms is also decorated with paintings and stucco. In the middle of this building, a circular tower with cracks similar to a half-column, known as a cucumber, is built from the roof surface.