Sun Palace

The Nader Palace, the Kalat Palace or the Sun Palace is a palace in Kalat, Iran. Built in 1738–1739, it is one of the few buildings that were built during the reign of Nader Shah. Its construction was cut short after the assassination of the Shah.
It is currently used as a museum of anthropology.

History

Returning from his Indian campaign, Nader Shah brought with him captive Indian architects and engineers and ordered them to construct a palace in Kalat. The palace was meant to house the Shah's treasury, and the jewels he had taken from India. The namesake of the palace was apparently a wife of Nader, who was named "Khorshid", meaning "Sun". After Nader's demise the construction process was halted, which is clearly visible from the state of the building and the calligraphies and paintings.
Located in the middle of a large garden, it used to be 25 meters tall in 3 floors, but the third floor was ruined over time and the current height of the building does not exceed 20 meters.
There is evidence that the place was used as a residential headquarter in the early Qajar era.
It was listed in the Iranian national heritage sites list on 10 February 1940 with the number 329.