Saray-e Moshir

🕰️When was it built?

Mirza Abolhasan Khan Moshir al-Molk built this saray in the Qajar era. The endowment stone above the entrance is dated Ramadan 1288 AH (late 1871). In the Pahlavi era its tilework, wooden doors and coloured glass were restored, and its rooms were given over to showing the local arts of Fars.

🏛️What was it built for?

The building was a trading saray, and its shops were used to sell goods. After restoration it also became known as the Saray of Art and turned into a centre for handicrafts. Its passages link it to the Moshir Bazaar and from there to the Ordu Bazaar.

👀What you will see

• The tall portal is decorated with tiles and muqarnas, with the marble endowment tablet above the entrance.
• In the middle of the courtyard is a large pool, and bitter orange trees are planted beside the shops around it.
• The shops are built on all four sides of the courtyard on two floors, and some have carved woodwork above them.
• The ceiling of the entrance vestibule is decorated with mosaic tiles, and the shallow vaults were built without timber beams.
• In the vestibule, four shops sit two steps above the floor, and the other four sides are open for passage.

🎒Good to know before you go

• As you enter, look at the stone above the portal; the founder's name, the date and the endowment text are carved on it.