Tekyeh Beyglarbeygi is a historic complex located in Kermanshah, showcasing a harmonious blend of late Zand and Qajar architecture. The building is particularly renowned for its magnificent mirrorwork decorations, which create a dazzling visual experience for visitors. Inside the complex, several framed photographs display the founders of the Tekyeh as well as notable figures from Kermanshah.
The importance of Tekyeh Beyglarbeygi has increased significantly due to the presence of two major cultural institutions within the complex: the Zagros Paleolithic Museum and the Kermanshah Calligraphy Museum. Together, they have transformed this site into one of the city’s most important cultural and historical attractions.
Construction of Tekyeh Beyglarbeygi began in 1891 under the supervision of Beyglarbeygi, a prominent local official during the Qajar period. The main structure was completed in 1897, while the intricate plasterwork and mirror decorations were finalized in 1908.
Historically, Tekyeh Beyglarbeygi served multiple functions. In addition to hosting religious ceremonies, it functioned as a palace for Beyglarbeygi and a residential complex for his brothers and sons, reflecting both its ceremonial and domestic significance.
Tekyeh Beyglarbeygi features three entrance doors, with the main entrance located on the southeastern side of the complex. This entrance is richly decorated with elegant plaster and stucco moldings. On both sides of the doorway, two rows of arches can be seen: the lower row is adorned with delicate plasterwork, while the upper row displays plaster figures representing people from the Qajar era.
An impressive alcove is located on the first floor of the northern section of the complex. Surrounded by open spaces, the alcove features beautifully crafted wooden sash windows on both sides and distinctive plaster columns. These columns are decorated with spoon-shaped ornaments and Byzantine-style capitals embellished with floral and plant motifs.
The interior of the alcove is richly decorated with plaster designs, including geometric patterns, plant motifs, decorative frames, eagle symbols, and ornamental columns, making it one of the most visually striking parts of the Tekyeh.
Upon entering the complex, visitors arrive at a vestibule with wall niches and a ceiling decorated with patterned brickwork. Access to different sections of Tekyeh Beyglarbeygi is provided through a wooden door on the northern side of this space.
Beyond the vestibule, a long and tastefully decorated corridor leads to the main courtyard. Two wooden doors on the southern side of the corridor provide access to the residential units on the southern front, while an entrance on the northern side leads to a dead-end alley and the residential spaces in the northern section. A third entrance is located on the southwestern side of the complex.
Tekyeh Beyglarbeygi consists of 24 rooms, accessible via staircases from the central courtyard. The rooms on the first floor are positioned approximately one meter above the courtyard level. Each room originally contained 16 two-story niches, which were used for storage and safeguarding valuable items.
The Zagros Paleolithic Museum is Iran’s first specialized museum dedicated to prehistoric studies. It was established due to the abundance of Paleolithic sites in the Zagros Mountains, an area historically suitable for early human settlement and hunting.
The museum houses some of the oldest evidence of human presence in Iran, including stone tools and fossils of hunted animals. Its oldest artifact is a stone tool discovered near the Khorasan River, estimated to be nearly one million years old. The museum consists of four exhibition rooms displaying artifacts from the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods, dating from approximately 100,000 to 8,000 years ago. Items on display come from sites across Iran, including Shikarchian Cave, Mar Tarik Cave, and fossil remains from Khorasan and Lorestan.
The Kermanshah Calligraphy Museum was established in 2003 and is located within Tekyeh Beyglarbeygi. The museum preserves around 300 historical documents and manuscripts, some of which are directly related to the Beyglarbeygi family. To protect these valuable works, several manuscripts have been transcribed into modern Persian and displayed alongside the original documents.
Tekyeh Beyglarbeygi is open to visitors daily from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
