The Chahar Fasl (Four Season) museum is known as the largest bathhouse in Iran.
The activity of Chahar Fasl Museum
The 4 Fasl bathhouse is one of the historical monuments of Arak city and belongs to the late Qajar dynasty. This building was built by Haj Mohammad Ibrahim Khansari during the reign of Ahmad Shah Qajar, the last king of the Qajar dynasty.
The existence of paintings and drawings from the four seasons of the year, which are located in this bath, has been the reason for naming this bathhouse to Chahar Fasl (Four Season)
This bathhouse is the only bathhouse in the country where there is a separate section for religious minorities. At that time, the Jews had some facilities such as cemeteries, schools, etc, but they did not have a bathhouse and did not have the right to use a public bathhouse, so the founder of this building decided to build a bathhouse for minorities in the vicinity of the city’s public bath.
The building was built in about 38 months and was renovated a few years ago and reopened as a museum.
Currently, there are various antiquities from pre-Islamic and post-Islamic times, such as coins of different historical periods, Qajar period contracts, books and manuscripts, copper and engraving vessels, pottery jars, spinning tools, old bath furniture, etc. besides, the 7,500-year-old human skeleton, which was found on the steep hill of Shazand, one of the cities of Markazi Province, is located in this museum.
The architecture of Chahar Fasl Museum
The building of this bathhouse is very unique in terms of architecture and is known as the largest bath in Iran. The building consists of sections of the entrance hall, men’s and women’s locker rooms, private and public bathhouses, a space between the bathhouse, a locker room, and a Cistern.
The first floor of this building is about three meters lower than the street floor, so water is easily and with less loss of heat transferred to the bath.
The women’s locker room is one of the most beautiful parts of this building, which has an integrated dome without columns. The roof of all parts of the bathroom is “arched dome”.
The cruciform pool is located on the floor of the locker room, which is made of black stone and is used to spray people who come out of the hot bath.
The large storage tanks for water and Cistern are in the middle of the building to make it easy to heat to use.
The interior design of Chahar Fasl Museum
Seven-color tiles and mosaic tiles are the most important decorations used in the bathroom. Designed and executed very artistically, these designs have beautiful human, animal, and various plant roles and landscapes of rivers, springs, wild plants, and birds on the branches.
The colors used in the tiles are mostly yellow, azure, turquoise, white, green, gray, red, and orange.
Where to eat near Chahar Fasl Museum
There are many shops for buying souvenirs near Chahar Fasl Museum, and near the traditional bazaar.
Near Chahar Fasl, there is an old house called Khakbaz house that has recently become a traditional restaurant & museum called Mafakher Museum, that you can not only use Mafakher Museum restaurant to eat traditional Araki food but also enjoy the historical house & take a photo.
Where to stay near Chahar Fasl Museum
There are small inns near Chahar Fasl Museum, one of them is located in the center square of the city, which is close to Chahar Fasl Museum at a very cheap price called Tohid inn, the other one called Sadr inn that is located in this street. the closest hotels to Chahar Fasl Museum is the 5-star Amir Kabir Hotel, Zagros Hotel, and Aftab Hotel.
The best time to travel to Arak
The best time to visit Chahar Fasl Museum is spring. Because the weather in Arak is very cold in winter & it is very pleasant In April and May, like most cities in Iran.
Other tourist attraction
Other tourist attractions near Chahar Fasl Museum include Mafakher Museum that is both restaurant & museum, traditional bazar of Arak with a lot of beautiful shop, Soltan Abad Museum in bazar & Hasan Pour House.
Location of Chahar Fasl Museum
Chahar Fasl Museum is located exactly in the center of Arak, near the center square of the city, in the street called Shahid Beheshti (Abbas Abad) in Arak, Opposite Haj Agha Saber Mosque.
How to get to Chahar Fasl Museum
Because of Chahar Fasl Museum is located in the center of the city, there is heavy traffic most of the time.
To reach to Museum, you can use public transportation such as buses or taxis.
By bus: Next to the museum, there is a bus stop.
By personal car: If you want to rely on a personal car, don’t worry about parking anymore because of the several proximity parking that worked in day & night.
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