BEHSHAHR

Sati Abad Palace
At Behshahr (formerly called Ashrat) we are in Italy, the landscape is of Tuscany or Verona. The illusion is almost complete. It is no wonder that Shah Abbas (the founder of the city) with his sense of pageantry and color chose this part of Mazandaran as his country resort. Here, there are several elevations and remains of buildings that belong to his reign. Of these, the Safi Abad Palace, one kilometer to the north and located on a high hill in a vast park overlooking beautiful woodland scenery, has been built by the order of Shah Abbas I. The group of royal palaces and gardens once consisted of a royal palace, chamber of justice, Bagh-e Saheb oz-Zaman, the Haram Khaneh, Bagh-e Shomal, Bagh-e Tappeh, Cheshmeh Emarat, Bagh-e Shah and its appurtenances. Gradually, however, the greater part of these buildings has disappeared and the only remaining structure now, is the Safi Abad Palace. The main palaces of Bagh-e Shah, once comprised large halls, several verandahs and many fresco-decorated chambers, and beautiful paintings. It was at Behshahr that Pietro della Valle finally caught up with Shah Abbas, and was permitted to kiss his hand in the course of along and exhausting ceremony which lasted deep into the night.

We can feel for Pietro that, after over a year's waiting at Shah Abbas's court, he was require, among other things, to squat on his heels for hours on end, and finally when the hour was late, answer searching questions from the monarch about Rome, the Pope, Christian sects, the policy of the King of Spain, and methods of conducting warfare.