Bahlgerd Garden

Bahlgerd Garden lies about 15 kilometers east of Birjand, in a village of the same name, and is one of the outstanding works of the Qajar era in South Khorasan Province. It is registered on Iran's National Heritage list under registration number 2367. The traditional principles of Persian garden design are clearly visible in the layout of Bahlgerd Garden: an entrance with a simple portal and a two-leaf wooden door decorated with spherical studs, a narrow, shallow vestibule (hashti), an inner courtyard (andaruni), inner and outer gardens, and a rectangular pool with an octagonal island at its center. Together they reflect the harmony between architecture and nature in traditional Persian gardens.

The Bahlgerd garden and mansion complex includes a variety of sections: the entrance, the vestibule, the inner courtyard, the two-story main mansion, the servants' quarters, the stable, and a natural icehouse (yakhdan) about 150 meters north of the mansion. The design consists of a larger outer garden and a smaller inner garden, with the spaces arranged according to the division between public and private areas typical of Persian gardens; the water basins and the pool between the two gardens are also hallmarks of traditional architecture. The importance of Bahlgerd Garden also lies in its simplicity and lack of extravagance: unlike some other Qajar gardens with abundant ornamentation, this garden was designed with a simple, practical and cohesive approach.

To visit Bahlgerd Garden, head from Birjand toward the village of Bahlgerd; the road is paved, and the garden is about 15 kilometers from the city. The best time to visit is from spring to early autumn, when the weather is milder and the garden and its surrounding landscape are at their most beautiful. While visiting, it is important to practice responsible tourism: please do not damage the structures, do not remove any architectural fragments, do not leave litter in nature, and respect the greenery so that this heritage is preserved for future generations.