TEHRAN- After decades of warnings about the possible demolition of the Fakhr al-doleh Mansion, which was once belonging to the Qajar princess, has undergone some rehabilitation works, ISNA reported on Wednesday. 

Located in the city of Rey, southeast of Tehran, the mansion is one of the valuable and historical houses of Tehran province and is an important part of the cultural and historical identity of the region, Rey’s cultural heritage department director Amir Mosayeb Rahimzadeh announced.  

A budget of 10 billion rials ($238,000 at the official rate of 42,000 rials) has been allocated to the restoration project which is being implemented in collaboration with the Kahrizak’s Municipality, the official added.

He also pointed out that the restoration project is expected to be completed by the end of the next Iranian year 1400 (March 2021-March 2022). 

Fakhr al-doleh Mansion belonged to one of the daughters of the Qajar king Mozaffar ad-Din Shah (1853-1907). The house is considered as one of the first aristocratic summer houses in the country due to its special and attractive architecture, which is a combination of European and traditional Iranian styles. 

Rey was one of the capital cities of the Parthian empire (3rd century BC–3rd century CE) and it was captured by the Muslim Arabs in 641 CE. During the reign of the Muslim caliph al-Mahdi in the 8th century, the city grew in importance until it was rivaled in western Asia only by Damascus and Baghdad.

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, Islamic writers described it as a city of extraordinary beauty, built largely of fired brick and brilliantly ornamented with blue faience (glazed earthenware). It continued to be an important city and was briefly a capital under the rule of the Seljuqs, but in the 12th century, it was weakened by the fierce quarrels of rival religious sects. In 1220 the city was almost destroyed by the Mongols, and its inhabitants were massacred. Most of the survivors of the massacre moved to nearby Tehran, and the deserted remnants of Rey soon fell into complete ruin.

ABU/AFM