Zolfaqari House

The mansion, which currently serves as a museum, is a must-see place in Zanjan Province.Originally containing parts like Andaruni, or private quarters, and Briruni, or public quarters, living and administrative quarters, now it just involves Biruni, which is known as Mahmud Khan Zolfaghari’s Monument. Located in an old neighborhood named Dalan Alti, the 2-storey building holds gate, entrance, courtyard and residential as well as official units.

With a mostly Qajar-style architecture, the house is also influenced by European Gothic structure.The gable-roofed house is made of mud-brick and stone. The monument is notable for its splendid decorations; here metal, stone, brick, wood and tiles are finely designed and adorned. The walls of the ground floor are adorned with eye-catching tiling in red, brown and yellow colors. Remarkable stucco works are mainly seen in the pillars of two floors. The wooden ceilings of almost all rooms are, too, ornately decorated. The grid, glass windows offer a great view of the courtyard and adjacent street.

In 2009, Zanjan’s Cultural Heritage Department decided to recover the monument in several stages and after transferring the items explored in Chehrabad Mine in 2007, the initiative of developing it into a museum was made. The first archeological museum in the province is also a national heritage site.

Among the major things on public display are the salt men.