| he importance of the Safavid palaces of ;This dissertation reconstructs the building history of the ;The results highlight a turning point in Safavid palatine tradition. New palaces at Isfahan, of which the Chihil Sutun is the sole survivor, are distinguished from their predecessors by virtue of their definite functionality, their precise ceremonial location and orientation in relation to their physical surroundings, and their programmatic wall decorations. The stimulus for change in the appearance of the seventeenth-century palaces emerges in light of an historical evolution in Safavid polity and the organization of the court. Accordingly, the... |
