Arg of Karim Khan

The Arg of Karim Khan (ارگ کریم‌خان) is the brick citadel in the centre of Shiraz built in the 1760s for Karim Khan Zand, who ruled most of Iran from the city. It was his residence and military headquarters, later a governor’s seat and then a prison, and is now a museum. Its four round corner towers, one of them visibly leaning, make it the most recognisable building in Shiraz.

A fortress for a ruler who would not be shah

Karim Khan Zand won the struggle for power that followed the death of Nader Shah in 1747. He never took the title of shah and called himself vakil, the deputy or regent. Our page on Karim Khan Zand tells his story. From the 1760s he turned Shiraz into a capital, laying out a royal quarter on the model of Safavid Isfahan. A large open square, used for parades and artillery, was lined with government buildings on one side, the Vakil Bazaar and caravanserais on another, the Vakil Bath and Mosque to the south, and the citadel to the west.

The Arg combined two roles. Behind its blank outer walls were Karim Khan’s private apartments, garden courtyard and bath; its towers and gate made it the strongpoint of the dynasty. The plan of the whole quarter is described on our history page Shiraz under Karim Khan.

After the Zands

Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar, who defeated the last Zand ruler Lotf Ali Khan in the 1790s, hated the Zands and had many of their buildings destroyed, along with the city walls. The Arg survived because it was useful. Under the Qajars it became the seat of the governors of Fars, often princes of the royal family. A British officer, James Edward Alexander, who passed through in the 1820s, described it as surrounded by a deep ditch filled with water.

In the early Pahlavi period the citadel was turned into a prison, and the painted decoration of the rooms was plastered over. In 1971 the building was handed to the national heritage authorities, and restoration began in 1977. Work since then has uncovered some of the paintings and restored the garden.

What to look at

The towers and the lean

Each corner has a round tower of fired brick, decorated with raised geometric patterns in the brickwork. The south-eastern tower leans noticeably. The usual explanation is subsidence: the ground under it was weakened, and water from the bath or a cistern beside it is often blamed. It has been stabilised and has become the building’s favourite photograph.

The gate

Above the main entrance is a large tile panel added in the Qajar period, showing the hero Rostam of the Shahnameh fighting the White Div. It is one of the few figurative scenes on the outside of the building, and a good place to start if you know the story.

The courtyard and rooms

Inside, the walls enclose a rectangular courtyard with a long pool and orange trees, surrounded by rooms on raised platforms. Some rooms keep fragments of painted plaster and stucco. Others hold small displays about the building and the Zand period.

The bath

Karim Khan’s private bathhouse (hammâm) occupies a corner of the citadel. It follows the usual Iranian plan, with a changing hall and a hot room, and shows how a ruler’s household bathed in the 18th century.

The Zand quarter on foot

The Arg is the best starting point for a walk through Karim Khan’s city. Across the road lie the Vakil Bazaar, the Vakil Mosque with its carved stone columns, and the Vakil Bath. Our Shiraz page summarises them. Allow two or three hours for the citadel and the bazaar together.

Practical notes

• The citadel stands on the main square at the start of Karim Khan Zand Boulevard, in the middle of the city, and is easy to reach on foot from most central hotels.
• The towers look best from the square outside in the late afternoon, when the low sun brings out the brick patterns.
• Opening hours and ticket prices change, and foreign visitors often pay a different rate. Check current information locally.