Description
Partial view, exterior view
exterior view of Eastern porch and part of pond and garden
Chehel Sotoun was built by Shah Abbas II. Shah Abbas II and his successors would receive dignitaries and ambassadors, either on the terrace or in one of the stately reception halls. The name, "Forty Columns," was inspired by the twenty slender wooden columns supporting the entrance pavilion, which, when reflected in the waters of the fountain, appear to be forty. The Palace and its garden cover an area of approximately 67,000 sq. m.