Dibai House
Who we are and what we offer
Dibai House is a traditional Persian residence that has been restored entirely and in detail. Transformed into a hotel, offers its guests the opportunity to stay in a historic mansion at the very centre of the Old City, and surrounded by a picturesque and artistic setting.
Dibai House dates from the 1670's. Nevertheless, modern facilities have been carefully added, so that the house can boast of being able to offer a truly comfortable and altogether enjoyable accommodation.
Dibai House has ten rooms to cater for twenty guests. There are three single rooms, five twin rooms and two triple rooms. Two of the twin rooms are en-suite, whilst the other rooms share five modern bathrooms.
The house has various common areas, open to all:
- The shah neshin, or talar. This room is a feature common to all traditional Persian residences and was historically the house's main daily hub, and where guests were received and entertained. Nowadays it is used as a big living room.
- Spacious shabestans, or basements, where the dining room is located.
- The chai khane, or tea room, with a samovar and fresh local pastry, a place to chill out and relax enjoying a cup of tea
- The magnificent hoz khane, or pool house, with intricate window and mirror works, paintings, reliefs and beautifully crafted walls.
- Two sahn, or courtyards.
Where we are
Dibai House is located in the Harunie district, in the centre of the Isfahan's Old Quarter (see map below).
Dibai House provides a perfect base for exploring Isfahan.
It is close to the Great Bazaar (three minutes' walk), the Jame Mosque
(six minutes' walk) and the Nakhshe Jahan (Imam) Square (ten minutes' walk).
Other attractions that lie within a walking distance are the Chehel Souton Palace, the
Natural History Museum, the Decorative Arts Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Arts, the
Sadr Mosque, the Hakim Mosque, the Shrine of Jafar, the Mausoleum of Harun Velayat and the
Nimurvand School.
We are also very proud to be next-door neighbours of the Ali Mosque and its eleventh-century Seljuk minaret. The house's central courtyard has a panoramic view of this tower, which the city's tallest minaret.
Getting around
Bus lines stopping at nearby Qayam Square
easily communicate Harounie with Chahar Bagh Boulevard, the riverside and
bridges, and the New Quarter.
Taxis operate extensively as well and are inexpensive.
Safe parking space is readily available day and night in Masjed Ali Alley, should any guest wish to bring their own vehicle.
Historical note: Harunie is named after after Aaron the Upright, or Harun al-Rashid (763-809). Born near Tehran, he was the fifth and most notable Abbasid caliph. Under his reign the Abbasid empire reached its apogee. Harun fought the Eastern Roman Empire and was an avid patron of letters and of arts. He had a trilling life and held a magnificent court on which many of the stories of the 'Thousand and One Nights' are based. While in a journey through Iran, he became ill and died in Tus (Khorasan province). He was buried in Mashad.
Care for our guests
We aim for faultless administration from your first encounter with us to the end of your stay, with personal service as a hallmark. And if anything does go wrong, we will put it right or compensate appropriately. We want you to come back again and again, as many of our customers do.
An outline of the history of Dibai House
The buildings comprising today Dibai House were originally part of a much larger residential complex know as Khaneye Harandi, or Harandi House. Named after its owner Hassan Harandi, a notorious, wealthy and influential textile merchant, the house was built in the 1670s to serve as a primary residence.
Khaneye Harandi was an excellent example of traditional Persian residential architecture. The complex occupied an entire block and comprised a beautiful and elaborate hoz khane, or pool house, ample stables and an additional building that served as caravanserai. Various adjacent shops, facing Harounie's High Street and still in use today, were also part of Khaneye Harandi.
The house had the characteristic partitioning into an interior wing, the andaruni and an exterior wing, the biruni. The andaruni, as opposed to the biruni, was the part of the house in which the private quarters were established, and specifically where the women of the house could freely move about without fear of being seen by an outsider. The only men allowed in the andaruni were the lord of the house, those related to him, like his sons, and guests allowed in under special circumstances.
This impressive palace-like dwelling was divided into independent parts in the early second half of the nineteenth century and sold off separately. And it was at that time when a distinguished army officer called Dibai acquired the andaruni, which became an independent residence and would subsequently be known as Dibai House
The premises that make up Dibai House today are precisely those who bought the army officer. Eventually neglected by his heirs, Dibai House fell into disrepair and it was in a run-down state when found by its current owner. After its purchase, the house underwent an exhaustive restoration carried out by leading experts in the recovery of historic buildings, a no easy task that lasted over four years. The work done respected the house's original architectural layout and design, leaving the building as close a state as it was then, almost four centuries ago. Wood from Isfahan's forests and paints and plasters of non-chemical origin, produced using traditional methods, were used throughout.
The house's pride is undoubtedly its hoz khane, one of the best preserved of its kind in Isfahan, if not the best. Its aesthetic roof scapes with an intriguing light well, as well as the intricate window and mirror works, paintings, reliefs, and a beautifully crafted walls make it an outstanding architectural feature.