Qavam House

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Qavam House (also widely called "Narenjestan Qavam") is a traditional and historical house in Shiraz, Iran.

It was built in the mid to late 1800s by Mirza Ibrahim Khan. The Qavam family were merchants originally from Qazvin. But they soon became active in the government during the Zand dynasty, followed by the Qajar and Pahlavi dynasty as well.

The Qavam "Naranjestan" preserves the elegance and refinement enjoyed by the upper class families during the nineteenth century. The paintings on the low ceilings of the house are inspired by Victorian era Europe.

View of the House from the garden.

Wall painting in the front side of the garden depicting 3 Qajari figures.

Front facade of building with painting of "Lion and Sun" (the Qajar royal emblem) on the pediment.

The mirrored porch was a focal point of the house, overlooking onto gardens lined with date palms and flowers. During the second Pahlavi era, the House became the headquarters of Pahlavi University's "Asia Institute", directed by Arthur Pope and Richard Nelson Frye. Frye and his family also lived in the house for a while as well. The house today is a museum open to the public.