Fin Garden

Lore & Background

The origins of Fin Garden may be anterior to the Safavid era; some sources indicate the garden was relocated from another place, but no clear picture of this has been found. The garden in its present form was built during the reign of Abbas the Great (r. 1587–1629) as a traditional bagh near the village of Fin, a few kilometres southwest of Kashan. The garden subsequently suffered from neglect and was damaged several times until it was listed as a national property of Iran in 1935.

Reader's Guide

Fin Garden is significant as the oldest surviving Persian garden in Iran, completed in 1590, and as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2012. Its design reflects the classic Persian garden tradition, with a main yard surrounded by ramparts and four circular towers, and extensive water features fed by the Soleymanié qanat, which has an average discharge of 350 L/s. The garden's historical importance is heightened by the Fin Bathhouse, where Amir Kabir, the Qajar chancellor, was assassinated in 1852. The National Museum of Kashan, built in 1968, is situated in the western part of the garden and contains archaeological objects from Chogha Zanbil, Teppe Hasanlu, and Tepe Sialk. The garden's legacy lies in its representation of Persian garden architecture and its role as a site of political history.

Did You Know?

• Fin Garden is one of the oldest surviving Persian gardens, built during the reign of Abbas the Great.
• The garden contains Kashan's Fin Bathhouse, where Amir Kabir was assassinated in 1852.
• The water source is a qanat called Soleymanié, with an average discharge of 350 L/s.
• The National Museum of Kashan, built in 1968, is located in the western part of the garden.