Address : Emam khomeini Sq.
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The oldest of the historic monuments in Tehran, the
Golestan Palace(Palace of Flowers) belongs to a group
of royal buildings that were once enclosed within the
mud-thatched walls of Tehran’s Historic Arg
(citadel).
The Arg was built during the reign of Tahmasb I (r.
1524-1576) of the Safavid dynasty (1502-1736), and
was later renovated by Karim Khan Zand (r. 1750-1779). Agha
Mohamd Khan Qajar (1742-1797)
chose Tehran as his capital. The Arg became
the site of the Qajar (1794-1925).Court and Golestan
Palace became the official residence of the royal family.
During the Pahlavi era
(1925-1979)Golestan Palace was used for formal royal
receptions. The most important ceremonies to be held in the
Palace during the Pahlavi era were the coronation of Reza
Khan (r. 1925-1941) in Takht-e Marmar and the
coronation of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (r. 1941-deposed 1979)
in the Museum Hall.
In its present state,
Golestan Palace is the result of roughly 400 years
construction and renovations. The buildings at the
contemporary location each have a unique history.
Location
Golestan Palace Museum is
located in at Arq Square. Tehran Iran. It can be easily
reached while you are in Tehran either by public
transportation like taxis buses or underground. The station
of underground for the Golestan Palace Museum is called
Panzdaeh Khordad.
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 Shams-ol-Emaneh
(Edifice of the Sun) is the most stunning structures of the
Golestan Palace.
The idea of building a tall
structure came to Nasser-ol-Din Shah before his first
European and from pictorial images of European buildings.
The Monarch wanted a structure from which he could have
panoramic views of the city.
Designed by Moayer-ol-Mamalek,
construction on the Shams-ol-Emareh began in 1865 and
was completed two years later. The architect was Master Ali
Mohammad Kashi.
The building has two identical
towers. The exterior views have multiple arches, intricate
tile work and ornate windows. This building is a fusion of
Persian and European architecture |
Talar-e Aineh (Hall of Mirro
is the most famous of the Palace hall. This relatively small hal is famous
for its extraordinary mirror work. The Hall was designed by Haj Abdoul
Hossein Memar bashi (Sanie-ol-Molk). Yahaya Khan Moetamed-ol-Molk,the
Minister of Architecture, acted as consultant to the designer
 The
Ottoman king, Sultan Abdoulhamid, send precious gifts to Nasser-ol-Din
Shah. Reportedly, these gifts were copious and enough to fill a
castle. The Qajar monarch was delighted with these gifts. He
decided to build an exhibit hall worthy of these gifts within the
confines of Golestan Palace. It is believed that Nasser-ol-Din
Shah, himself, designed the structure, with a central hall large enough
to house the carpet that was sent by Sultan Abdoulhamid.
Completed in 1883, the Abyaze
(White) Palace now houses one of the most interesting ethological
museums in Iran. There is a colorful exhibition of tradition Iranian
costumes, as well as a folk art exhibition.
Emarat
Badgir (Building of the Wind Towers) was constructed during
the reign of Fath Ali Shah (circa 1806).
The building underwent major renovations, including structural
changes, during the reign of Nasser-ol-Din Shah.
A watercolor rendering by Mahmood Khan Malek-ol-Shoara
depicts the original structure prior to renovations,.
The
building is flanked by two rooms known as goshvar (earrings). There is a central room which boasts the finest
stained glass window in Golestan Palace. Outside,
there are four wind towers of blue, yellow and black glazed tiles
and a golden cupola. The wind towers are constructed to allow
the cooling wind to move through the structure.
Talar-e Berelian (Hall of Brilliance) was named so
for it is adomed by the brilliant mirror work of Iranian
artisans. The Hall was build by Nasser-ol-Din Shah build to
replace another hall called Talar Bolour (Crystal Hall). Built
by Fath Ali Shah the Bolour Hall had been laid waste by the
damp. The Berelian Hall is famous for its mirror work and
chandeliers. An oil painting by Yahya Khan Sanie-ol-Molk
Ghafari, showing the decorations of this hall before
renovations carried out by Mozafar-ol-Din Shah (r. 1896-1907).
exists in the Golestan Palace.
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Talar_e zorouf
 This
building replaced the Narenjestan building in the north of
Adj Hall or sofre Khaneh. All the chinaware that were
dedicated to Qajar kings by the European kings were taken to
this room and was arranged in show cases which were built
for this purpose.
All the chinaware that exists in this room is rare and
beautiful. Among them these are the most exceptional:
1-The
chinaware that shows the Napoleonian wars dedicated by
Napoleon the first.
2-The
chinaware dedicated by King Nicoli the first.
3-Chinaware
studded with gems and jewels dedicated by Queen Victoria.
4-The
chinaware which was dedicated by King Vilhelm to the Iranian
crown prince.
5-A set made by Melacit stone dedicated by Alexandre
the third.
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Talar-e
Adj (Hall of Ivory) is a large hall used as a dinning room. It
was decorated with gifts presented to Nasser-ol-Din Shah by European
monarchs.
Among the Golestan Palace
collection, a watercolor by Mahmoud Khan Malek-ol-Shoara, shows
the exterior view of this hall during the Qajar period.
Talar Almas (Hall of
Diamonds) is located in the southern wing of Golestan Palace next
to the Badgir Building. It is called Hall of Diamonds because of
the exceptional mirror work inside the building.
The construction of this hall dates to the
time of Fath Ali Shah (circa1806). Nasser-ol-Din Shah renovated
this hall changing its appearance and replacing the hall’s Ogival arches
with Roman ones. He also ordered the walls covered with wallpaper
imported from Europe. As the basic structure dates back to the time of
Fath Ali Shah, it is only. It is only apt that this hall should
be devoted to the exhibition of art and handicrafts from that period.
Chador Khaneh
Located between the Badgir and
Almas Hall, the Chador Khaneh (House of Tents) was
used as a warehouse for royal tents. The Qajar tribe loved the great
outdoors and made several royal camping trips each year. These trips
were grand affairs with multitudes of servants and attendants – in
addition to all royal necessities. Many tents were needed to accommodate
the entourage. Thus, a need for a House of Tents. The Chador Khaneh
has undergone major renovations and is now used as a meeting and
lecture hall.
Aks khaneh
The Aks khaneh (House of
Photographs) is a large summer chamber under the Badgir. As with
the Hows Khaneh, this room was cooled using a cooling system that
pumped water from a subterranean stream (qanat) into a small
pond. Due to the harmful effects of humidity, this system is no longer
in use. This room has undergone major renovations and is now used as an
exhibition space for photographs of the Qajar period. Nasser-ol-Din
Shah took an interest in photography not long after the invention of the
camera. In fact, he was an avid photographer. The Aks khaneh
houses some photographs taken by Nasser-ol-Din Shah and some photographs
captioned by him
Takht-e-Marmar
 The
spectacular terrace known as Takht-e-Marmar (Marble Throne)
was built in 1806 by order of Fath Ali Shah Qajar (r. 1797-1834). Adorned
by paintings, marble-carvings, tile-work, stucco, mirrors, enamel,
woodcarvings, and lattice windows; the throne embodies the finest
of Iranian architecture. The Marble Throne is one of the oldest
buildings of the historic Arg. The existing throne, which is situated in the
middle of the terrace (iwan), is made of the famous yellow
marble of Yazd province.
The throne is made of sixty-five pieces of marble
and was designed by Mirza Baba Naghash Bashi (head painter)
of the Qajar court. Mohammad
Ebrahim, the Royal Mason, oversaw the construction and several
celebrated masters of the time worked on the execution of this
masterpiece. The architectural details and other ornaments of the terrace (iwan)
were completed during the reigns of Fath Ali Shah and Nasser -
ol- Din Shah (r. 1848-1896).
Coronations
of Qajar kings, and formal court ceremonies were held on this
terrace (iwan). The last coronation to be held at Takht-e-Marmar
was the coronation of, the self-proclaimed King, Reza Khan Pahlavi
in 1925.
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Howz Khaneh
 Works
of European painters presented to the Qajar court are
housed in the Howz Khaneh.
The Howz Khaneh was
used as a summer chamber during the Qajar ear. A
special cooling system pumped water form a subterranean
system of streams (qanats) – in this case the
king’s qanat – into small ponds inside the
chambers. Hows means pond, thus the name Hows
Khaneh. The system was designed to pass
through as many summer rooms as was necessary. The
water was then channeled outside to irrigate the royal
gardens. Due to the harmful effects of humidity,
this system is no longer in use.
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Emarat-e- Khabgah
Built as the residence of Queen
Elizabeth II during her short visit to Iran in 1955, The
Emarat-e- Khabgah (Siesta House) is the most recent
addition to Golestan Palace.
The building is designated to
house the Royal Manuscripts Library and the Qajar photograph
collection. The Royal Manuscript Library is currently
housed at a temporary location awaiting its eventual move to
its permanent home in the Khabgah. The Library’s
collection is among the most valuable illustrated works in
Iran, such as Moraga-e- Golshan, Shahnameh
Baisongori. |
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Khalvat-e-Karim Khani
 Dating
back to 1759, this building was a part of the interior
residence of Karim Khan Zand. The basic structure of the
Khalvat-e-Karim Khani is similar to
Takht-e-Marmar. Like the latter, it is a terrace (iwan).
There is a small marble throne inside the terrace. The
structure is much smaller than Takht-e-Marmar and it
has much less ornamentation. There was once a small pond
with a fountain in the middle of this terrace. Water from a
subterranean stream (the king’s qanat) flowed from
the fountain into the pond and was later used to irrigate
the Palace grounds.
Nasser-ol-Din Shah was fond of
this corner of Golestan Palace. He is said to have
spent much time here in rest and repose– smoking his water
pipe in quite reflection. In fact, some believe that it was
he who dubbed the structure Khalvat (a cozy corner).
It seems extraordinary, but the valuable gravestone of
Nasser-ol-Din Shah finally found its way to this quite
corner of the Palace after being misplaced for sometime.
This marble stone with a craved image of Nasser-ol-Din Shah
is indeed a site to behold. |
Special Museum
This building is located under the Salam Hall or Museum. It is
indeed a part of the first Iranian museum, which was built by
Mohamad Ebrahim Khan Memar Bashi.
In Nasser-0l-Din shah’s period, this building was used as a
warehouse for the china and silverware, which was dedicated to Qajar
kings.
In the Pahlavi period, this warehouse was turned in to a museum to
expose the rare gifts, which was given to the Qajar kings.
Right now in addition to the gifts, some rare objects are kept in
this museum, some of them are as follows:
Helmet
of king Esmail Safavid.
Bow
and arrows of King Nader.
Armband
of Fath Ali Shah.
The collection of Qajar Seals.
Aga
Mohamad khan’s crown.
A
decorated ostrich egg.
Neggar Khaneh
 The
original collection of the museum hall is now scattered among Tehran’s
many museums. However, the paintings of the royal court are now kept at
the Golestan Palace – with the European paints housed in the
Hows Khaneh and the works of Iranian painters housed in the
Neggar Khaneh. Meant to show the evolution of painting in Iran
during the Qajar era, the works of Iranian painters are exhibited in two
sections. Housed in the southern part of the Neggar Khaneh are
the works of early Qajar masters such as Mirza Baba, Mehr Ali
Afshar, Ali Akbar Khan Mozaien-ol-Douleh, Aboul Hassan
Sani (Sanie-ol-Molk) who was Kamal-ol-Molk’s uncle.
The northern Neggar Khaneh, was the
seat of the Royal Guard during the time of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The
northern hall underwent substantial renovations in 1995 and now houses
the works of later masters of the Qajar era such as Mahmoud Khan Saba
(Malek-ol-Shoara), Mohammad Gafari Kashani (Kamal-ol-Molk),
Mehri, Mosa Momayez
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 Talar
Salam (Reception Hall) was originally designed to be
a museum. After the Takht-e-Tavoos (Iranian’s famous
Jeweled Peacock Throne) was moved to the Royal jewels
collection at the Central Bank, this hall was designated to
hold special receptions in the presence of the king, hence
the name Talar Salam.
Tourists and envoys from
European courts received in the Arg during the reign
of Nasser-ol-Din Shah, spoke of this outstanding hall
comparing it to its European counterparts.
This hall has exquisite mirrors
work. The ceiling and walls are decorated with plaster
molding. The floors are covered with mosaic.
During the reign of Nasser-ol-Din
Shah, this hall was used to exhibit Iranian and European
paintings alongside gifts presented to the Iranian court.
Royal jewels were also exhibited inside glass cases. These
jewels are now housed at the Royal Jewels Museum of the
Central Bank. |
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