Borujerdi House
As other historical houses of Kashan, Borujerdi House is an example of a wealthy Kashan family residence of the 19th century. This house belonged to Borujerdi family and is an outstanding masterpiece of Persian architecture. Borujerdi House is one of the most popular touristic sites of Kashan, along with Tabatabaei House, Ameri House, and Abbasi House. In 2014, Hao Ping, President of UNESCO General Conference, visited Kashan and nominated Borujerdi House as the most beautiful historical house in Asia. In 2015, Borujerdi House was chosen as UNESCO Top Choice to visit in Iran. The architect of the house is Ustad Ali Maryam. The house has all the typical features of traditional Persian house. It is separated into two parts: entrance, or exterior part and living, or interior part. They are separated with rectangular courtyard, decorated with a garden and water pool. The house also has 40-meter-tall wind tower, or “badgir”. Thanks to this engineering decision the air inside the house stays cool even during the hottest summer days. The main hall of Borujerdi House is topped with a domed ceiling, decorated with outstanding ornaments. There are some remarkable paintings done under the supervision of Kamal-ol-Molk, the famous artist of Qajar government in 19th century. The Borujerdi House is valuable in terms of local features and architectural elements and interior ornamentation. You face Tiles, Brickwork, and Stucco in outdoor. Also, there is a fabulous Aina-Kari in the indoor part of this house.
Fin Garden
Fin Garden is a masterpiece combining natural and man-made elements. Designed for Shah Abbas I in the 16th century, this delightful garden with its symmetrical proportions, old cedars, spring-fed pools and fountains is renowned as being the very epitome of the Persian garden and its evocation of heaven. This is the oldest surviving Persian garden in Iran. Reflecting its location and sacred symbolism. Within the Fin Garden are numerous structures that were erected at various points of time in the garden’s history. There are two bathhouses in the Fin Garden, a large one, which was built during the Qajar period, and a small one that dates to the Safavid period. It was in the small bathhouse that the murder of Amir Kabir took place in 1852.
As mentioned earlier, the Fin Garden is a Persian Garden. These gardens are distinguished by certain common features that date back to the time of the Cyrus the Great, who ruled the Achaemenid Empire during the 6th century BC. One of the most important principles shared by the Persian gardens is the chahar bagh (meaning ‘four gardens’) layout.
According to this design, a Persian garden, which is quadrilateral in shape, would be divided into four parts by waterways. These channels are supplied with water from a source, a fountain, for instance, located in the middle of the garden.
Persian gardens are meant to symbolize the harmony between the four Zoroastrian elements – sky, earth, water, and plants. With the advent of Islam, these gardens also came to represent the Garden of Eden, or the four gardens of Paradise, as mentioned in the Qur’an. Whilst a common layout may be found in all Persian gardens, the overall design has been adapted to the different climates they were being created in.
Sultan Amir Ahmad Bathhouse
In the past, the five elements of mosque, bazaar, house, bathhouse, and cistern were the main elements necessary for each city. As a result, Sultan Amir Ahmad Bathhouse was considered to be one of the main parts of Kashan. Evidence declared that the construction of this bathhouse dates back to Seljuq Dynasty while some people believe that what we now see as Sultan Amir Ahmad Bathhouse was actually built in Qajar Dynasty over the ruins of the previous bathhouse which was destroyed by an earthquake. It has delicately unique and beautifully decorated walls. You can see one of the wonders of the city of Kashan with its beautiful roof which provides you with an overview of Kashan city. And then you can go inside, and you’ll be mesmerized by the beauty of this very well maintained bathhouse with decorated walls of blue and golden tiles. There are lots of decorations, mirror halls and rooms to discover the symmetrical designs and carvings and the symbolism behind them.
The Sultan Amir Ahmad Bathhouse consists of two main parts, the dressing hall (Sarbineh) and the hot bathing hall (Garmkhaneh). Sarbineh is past the main entrance. It is in the shape of a large octagonal hall, which has an octagonal pool in the middle, surrounded by 8 pillars separating its outer sitting area. At the time of construction of the Bathhouse, its intended use was not just to serve cleanliness purposes but rather was a place for rest, gatherings, discussions and even prayers. As a result there are benches surrounding the perimeter of Sarbineh elevated by a few steps above the central pool where visitors can lounge. Garmkhaneh is the main washing area. It consists of hot and cold pools and sitting areas. There are four pillars in Garmkhaneh, which create smaller private bathing rooms all around as well as the entrance to the main bathing room (Khazineh).
The interior of the Bathhouse is decorated with turquoise and gold tilework, plasterwork, brickwork as well as artistic paintings. Most of the decorations of the Bathhouse’s interior are in the Sarbineh area. The area connecting Sarbineh and Garmkhaneh was intentionally designed with multiple turns to minimize the heat and humidity exchange between the two areas. The roof of the bathhouse is made of multiple domes that contain convex glasses to provide sufficient lighting to the Bathhouse while concealing it from the outside. The Bathhouse has other supporting areas as well which were utilized for regulating the amount of water and its temperature.
In 1956 the Sultan Amir Ahmad Bathhouse was registered as a national heritage site by Iran’s Cultural Heritage Department.
Noushabad Underground City
It was a sunny day about 10 years ago in the city of Noushabad, a couple of men were digging a well. Suddenly, one of the diggers fell into a deep pit. That’s how Ouyi was found by sheer accident. That young man couldn’t dream of discovering the biggest hand-dug underground city in the world.
The city of Ouyi, located below the current city of Noushabad, is one of Kashan’s top attractions and is a masterpiece in both architecture and engineering. An underground complex spread over 3 separate levels, the wonders of Ouyi are still being discovered.
The whole city is a labyrinth of rising and falling pathways which give the city some unique properties. It is estimated that the labyrinth city was built sometime within the rule of the Sasanian dynasty (224-651 AD). However, archaeologists and other experts are still trying to understand how these ancient people could construct and excavate such a wonder using primitive tools.
The city of Ouyi has a unique and ancient ventilation system designed to bring in fresh air, no matter how deep you go. The ascending and descending pathways allow the free flow of air throughout the structure.
However, what makes Ouyi one of Kashan’s top attractions is the city’s defense capabilities. The complicated network of rooms, halls and pathways are connected by small hatches, big enough to allow only one standing person at a time. Some paths can only be accessed by crawling.
It is theorized that when hostile forces would raid the area above, residents of ancient Noushabad and various other local villages would seek shelter within the underground network of Ouyi. Once inside, the city provided quite a few other defensive capabilities.
