Wender·Vista
Qazvin
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileIran
on the high plain northwest of Tehran, below the Alborz range

Qazvin

— — the city that held the Safavid throne first.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“A provincial capital on the high plain northwest of Tehran, set against the southern wall of the Alborz mountains. Qazvin served as the second capital of Safavid Iran from 1548 until Shah Abbas moved the court to Isfahan in 1598. Its old Friday Mosque keeps Seljuk brickwork from the eleventh century, and the bazaar still smells of cardamom and dried mulberry. from the studio

from the studio
Qazvin
— bring it home

Qazvin, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Qazvin

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Qazvin sits at about 1,280 metres on the high plain northwest of Tehran, roughly 150 kilometres from the capital, with the southern wall of the Alborz mountains rising to the north. It is the capital of Qazvin Province and one of the older continuously inhabited cities of the Iranian plateau, founded by the Sasanian king Shapur I in the third century. The population is around 400,000, and the city is a junction on the rail and motorway lines running between Tehran, Tabriz, and the Caspian.

— the stone

Shah Tahmasp I made Qazvin the Safavid capital in 1548 after Ottoman pressure on Tabriz, and the court remained here for fifty years until Shah Abbas moved it to Isfahan in 1598. The Ali Qapu gate and the Chehel Sotun pavilion, set in the old royal precinct, survive from that period. Older still is the Jameh Mosque, whose southern dome chamber dates to the eleventh-century Seljuk rebuilding under Malik Shah, with brick muqarnas and a Kufic inscription band that scholars still cite as a Seljuk reference point.

— the visit

Qazvin is an easy two-hour drive or train ride from Tehran, and most travellers come for a day or a single night. The old bazaar runs through the centre, threading caravanserais like the Sa'd al-Saltaneh complex, recently restored as a covered market and teahouse district. The Jameh Mosque, the Chehel Sotun pavilion, and the small Calligraphy Museum sit within walking distance. North of the city, the road climbs into the Alborz toward Alamut Valley, where the ruined castles of the Nizari Ismailis cling to the ridges.

— where
Iran · Qazvin Province, Iran
— elevation
1,278 m · 4,193 ft
— position
36.2688° N · 50.0041° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
100 km NE
Alamut Valley
Nizari castle valley
1 km centre
Sa'd al-Saltaneh Caravanserai
Qajar caravanserai
150 km SE
Tehran
national capital
30 km N
Alborz Mountains
mountain range
N
Qazvin
Alamut Valley
Sa'd al-Saltaneh Caravanserai
Tehran
Alborz Mountains
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Qazvin — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

On the high plain northwest of Tehran in Iran, at about 1,280 metres elevation. The southern wall of the Alborz mountains rises to the north, and the city is around 150 kilometres from the capital.

Yes. Shah Tahmasp I moved the Safavid capital here from Tabriz in 1548 under Ottoman pressure. The court remained in Qazvin until Shah Abbas relocated it to Isfahan in 1598.

The Jameh Mosque's southern dome chamber, rebuilt under the Seljuk sultan Malik Shah in the eleventh century. Its brick muqarnas and Kufic inscription band are still cited as Seljuk references.

A large Qajar-era caravanserai in the centre of Qazvin, restored as a covered market with teahouses and small shops. It is one of the best-preserved urban caravanserais in Iran.

A mountain valley in the Alborz range about 100 kilometres northeast of Qazvin, holding the ruined hilltop castles of the Nizari Ismailis, famously Alamut Castle, the order's twelfth-century headquarters.

By train or car on the Tehran-Tabriz route, about two hours. Several daily trains run from Tehran's main station, and the motorway carries fast bus and shared-taxi service across the plain.

— about the piece in your home

It lands well for Iranians with family in the northwest, and for anyone who grew up hearing about the Safavid court or Alamut. A Medium or Small with a handwritten note from the studio reads warmly.

The blues and brick reds sit comfortably in Persian-modern, warm Maximalist, and jewel-tone Bohemian rooms. The piece anchors well above a low bookcase or beside a kilim-covered chair.

Yes. Jewel-tone direction leans into lapis, garnet, and patterned brick warmth, and the tile's stained-glass blues and ochres fit that mood without going literal-Orientalist.

A single Large reads from across a room above a console. Above a full sofa, a 4-tile Mural carries the wall; for a long sectional, the 9-tile Mural holds the proportion better.

Yes, in Dura Satin or Matte. Both finishes resist scratches and moisture, so the tile sits well on a bathroom wall, in a kitchen nook, or behind a stove-side shelf.

A dry or barely damp microfibre cloth is enough. The colour is infused into the ceramic surface and lives beneath a thin finish, so no polish, wax, or harsh cleaner is needed.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to our studio, painted in our stained-glass and alcohol-ink language. We don't license, resell, or reprint other artists' work.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.