The comings and goings of the emirs, courtiers and the Safavid princes in Chaharbagh was mostly done on horseback.
Engelbert Kaempfer, the German physician and traveller who travelled to Iran at the time of Shah Suleiman’s coronation, recounted what he saw in his travelogue:
Every evening, as soon as the heat of the day reduced, Shah Suleiman rode in the Chaharbagh, aiming to go to the Hezar Jarib Garden, while all the emirs and courtiers accompanied the Shah and talked to him about governmental matters. Additionally, the Shah received the peasantry’s petitions personally and addressed their needs and problems. By the Shah’s command, on the Wednesday of every week, the Chaharbagh and the Royal gardens were allocated to women.
This is also recounted in “the Abbasi History” by Jalal-al-din Mohammad ibn Abdollah Monajjem Yazdi:
On the 16th of Safar 1018 AH, it occurred to the Shah that women are deprived of gathering and spending time in the Chaharbagh. He commanded that on Wednesdays the Chaharbagh and the bridge be allocated to women. It was ruled that any man who set foot in this area at this time, he was to be hanged.
Name Engelbert Kaempfer
Profession Physician, Traveler
Year of entry to Iran 1683
Duration of Stay in Iran 20 months
Books The Kaempfer Travelogue, The Wonderous Asia
Name Jalaledin Mohammad ibn Abdellah Monajjem Yazdi
Title Molla Jalal
Profession Astronomer, Shah Abbas I court historian
Name of Book Tarikh Abbasi (the Journal of Molla Jalal Monajjem)
