Sardar Mofakham Mansion, Bojnord

In the city of Bojnord, in North Khorasan Province, stands a historic building known as the "Sardar Mofakham Mansion". It was built on the orders of Yar Mohammad Khan Shadloo (Sardar Mofakham) in the final period of the Qajar dynasty. The mansion is registered on Iran's National Heritage List under number 952. It has two floors, measures roughly 50 × 23 metres and is about 9 metres high, with a total of 34 rooms and two large halls.

The interior of the Sardar Mofakham Mansion is decorated with delicate stucco work, skilful brickwork, tall columns and seven-colour tilework, making it a distinctive example of Qajar-era architecture in northeastern Iran. In the past the mansion was part of a large complex called "Dar al-Hokumeh Mofakham" (the Mofakham Government House), which included a mirror hall, a pool house, a garden and ancillary buildings. Today the mansion and its mirror hall hold an important place in the region's tourism. The British Colonel Edward Yate, who met Sardar Mofakham in this building about a century ago, wrote in his memoirs about its splendour. He describes rooms with walls covered in maps, a reception room adorned with candelabras and beautiful mirrors, and floors covered with silk carpets. Behind one of the rooms there was also an orangery, whose roof was covered with iron sheets and whose walls were decorated with the skins of animals hunted in the forests of northern Iran. The mansion is valuable not only for its architecture but also for its history, and it is regarded as a symbol of government authority in the Qajar period.

To reach the mansion, once you arrive in Bojnord you can travel by car or taxi towards the northeast of the city to the site; local signposts will also guide you. The best time to visit is from spring to early summer, when the weather is mild and there is enough light to see the architectural details. During your visit, responsible travel practices are essential: do not touch the decorations or place objects on them, do not leave litter in the grounds, and stay on the designated paths so that this valuable heritage is preserved for future generations.