Introduction to Kolah Farangi (Pergola) Mansion
Although it is not the size of the Qajar palaces, the Kolah Farangi mansion or the tomb of Vakil is a reflection of the tribal mood and democracy of its owner, Karim Khan Zand. This historic mansion is the remnant of a large garden called Bagh-e Nazar. According to reports, the Kolah Farangi Mansion belongs to the Zandiyeh dynasty, when official gatherings and ceremonies was held in this place. It was suitable for attending foreign guests and ambassadors. This mansion nowadays is located in a relatively small garden in the center of Shiraz.
The Story of Karim Khan’s death
After Karim Khan’s death, his body was buried in the mansion, but during the reign of Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar, because he was not happy with the prisoners, he ordered to pull the bones of Karim Khan out and take them to Golestan Palace in Tehran and bury there. But once again during the Pahlavi regime, his bones were moved and transferred to this mansion.
The Architecture of the Kolah Farangi Mansion
The Kolah Farangi Mansion is an octagonal building inspired by Karim Khan’s Isfahan’s Hasht Behesht Mansion, which is decorated with integrated stone protective coverings and tiled decorations with Islamic motifs, flowers and chickens, hunting grounds and scenes inspired by old stories.
The interior of the building consists of a hall, a domed center, and four side royal residences, one of which is a room, and in the middle of the hall, there is an integrated pool of marble. The interior of the mansion includes arches, sculptures, and niches. All the motifs inside the mansion include Islamic designs, flowers, and chickens, and the top of the mansion is decorated with sprays and tiles. These paintings show the cornea on four sides, the view of the hunting ground, and the narration of Solomon sitting on the throne. There are also four waterfronts on all four sides of the building, and the northern waterfront is located on Zand Street and has been destroyed.
Pars Museum
In 1315, the Kolah Farangi mansion became a museum, and the works in the Pars Museum are divided into three periods: prehistoric, historical, and Islamic. There are works such as manuscripts, paintings, lacquer artifacts, and pottery from prehistoric and historic times, and pottery from the pre-Islamic, Seljuk, and Safavid periods, as well as Karim Khan Zand sword.
Several historical Qurans; In a line attributed to Amir al-Mo’menin Ali (AS), Imam Hassan (AS), Imam Sadegh (AS) and some of the companions of the Prophet (PBUH) and his followers, which were previously kept in the Atiq Mosque in Shiraz, they are now displayed in the Pars Museum. Among the museum’s Qurans, two unique Qurans are housed in the museum’s repository. It was placed in the Quran Gate of Shiraz.
In this museum, there is a painting of Karim Khan and a group of famous people which shows him smoking a hookah, which is very famous. Jafar Naghash, the creator of this work, is known. The Pars Museum also houses other works by other painters such as Mirmasur and Sadr al-Din Shayesteh, who were students of Kamal al-Mulk.
One of the remarkable historical monuments is a circular and cylindrical stone in the western part of the garden, which is called the tablet of history. In the three different historical periods of Seljuk, Safavid, and Qajar, three inscriptions were written on the third line of Pahlavi and Nastaliq versions.
Naming Kolah Farangi Mansion
Another name for this mansion is Vakil Tomb. The reason for the naming is Karim Khan’s will that his tomb be located in the eastern Shah Neshin of the mansion. That is why the Kolah Farangi Mansion in Shiraz is also named the same. From other names of this building, Nazar Garden Mansion, Pars Museum Garden, Shahzadeh Garden, Chahar Fasl (four seasons) Mansion, or the Royal Garden in the Zandiyeh era could be mentioned.
The Importance of the Kolah Farangi Mansion
Kolah Farangi Mansion, with its long history, has is very special among the attractions of Shiraz. Many domestic and foreign tourists are interested in visiting Shiraz and eager to visit the monuments remnant of the Zandiyeh era.