Villa Ispahan

The Villa Danichgah[1] (French: [vila daniʃɡa], from Classical Persian دانشگاه Dānishgāh, “Dānish's place”), nowadays nicknamed and better-known as Villa Ispahan (French: [vila ispaɑ̃]; Iranian Persian: ویلای اسپهان Vilâ-ye Espahân) is a Persian-style Belle Époque building in Moneghetti, Monaco, at 57 Boulevard du Jardin Exotique. It was built in 1910 by the Persian diplomat Prince Reza Khan Arfa Danesh (Dānish).[2] The villa is modelled on the Shah Mosque in Isfahan in Iran, with blue minarets. It is decorated with mosaics, coloured glass and motifs including the Persian Lion and Sun emblem.[3] A museum of Persian Art and Culture in the 1960s, the Villa Ispahan was listed for sale in 2019 with 9 rooms spread over 548 m2.[4]

The building was home to a museum of Iranian art, sculptures, and objets d'art curated by Baroness Marie Roze Trenk, grand-daughter of opera singer Marie Roze.[5] Prince Arfa's collection was sold by Sotheby's at Monte Carlo's Sporting d'Hiver club in 1983.[6]

The Villa Ispahan is the site of the Consulate of Indonesia in Monaco.[7]

## References

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1. ^ L'Europe nouvelle (in French). Vol. 9\. 1926. p. 388.
2. ^ Arfa, Prince (15 November 2016). Memories of a Bygone Age: Qajar Persia and Imperial Russia 1853-1902. Gingko Library. p. 21\. ISBN 978-1-909942-87-5.
3. ^ "Villa Ispahan". PSS. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
4. ^ "Villa Ispahan". Monteiro. Archived from the original on 7 February 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
5. ^ Hudson, Kenneth; Nicholls, Ann (18 June 1975). Directory of Museums. Palgrave Macmillan UK. p. 331\. ISBN 978-1-349-01488-0.
6. ^ Sotheby Parke Bernet Monaco S.A. (1983). Collection de la Villa Ispahan, Monte-Carlo: vente aux enchères publiques au Sporting d'Hiver, Monte-Carlo, mardi 28 juin 1983 ... La Société.
7. ^ "Indonesia". Government of Monaco. Retrieved 6 February 2020.