With highly unusual figurative painted decoration in the ‘coffee-house’ style, dating from the 19th century - as well as fine internal plasterwork, this house is one of the most important examples of residential property to be recorded as part of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture's survey in the old city. Painted on a plastered dome and, by 2009, in a very poor state of repair, it is remarkable that this mural has survived.

While some traditional houses in Herat have floral or geometric painted decoration, a figurative painting on this scale is very unusual. Stylistically, this mural resembles the folk art of the ‘qahveh khaneh’ or coffeehouse, popular in Iran in the late 19th century Qajar Period. Such paintings usually provided a backdrop for story-telling and religious rituals, particularly during Muharram, but it is not clear how this small domestic space might have been used. Conservation works entailed the reconstruction of collapsed sections of brick masonry as well as repair of the roof, the colonnaded veranda and the distinctive moulded brickwork on the courtyard elevations of the house. The external timber screens along the upper colonnade were conserved and surviving areas of decorative internal plaster stabilised. In order to reduce the risk of future flooding of this low-lying property, measures were taken to improve drainage in the wider area.

Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture