Golestan Palace or Golestan Museum Palace, with a history of over 440 years, is one of the most unique historical collections in Iran. The name of Golestan to this complex has its roots in the foundation of a hall called “Golestan”, that was one of the buildings of the era of Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar and was completed in 1216 AH during the reign of Fath Ali Shah Qajar.
Golestan Palace has undergone changes from the Safavid era to the contemporary era. However, the foundation of Golestan Palace dates back to the time of Shah Abbas Safavid and in the year 998 AH and with the construction of four gardens inside the fence of Shah Tahmasb and later in the time of Shah Suleiman Safavid (1109 – 1078 AH) with the construction of a court house in the same The area of Shah Abbasi Chenarestan is formed, but today there are no traces of those foundations and the existing assets of Golestan Palace are limited to a part of the monuments and buildings from Zandieh era and do not go beyond it.
Golestan Palace was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on July 2, 2013, at the 37th Annual Meeting of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Khalvat Karimkhani
To the northwest of the complex is a three-span porch. In the middle of this porch there is a small spring from that water branches to different parts of the garden. In the past, this place was considered as the retreat of Nasser al-Din Shah due to its cozy and beautiful atmosphere. At present, the tomb of Naser al-Din Shah and the throne of Fath Ali Shah are located in this place.
Marble bed porch
The marble bed has been a place for public greetings. This throne, that can be considered a symbol of the elegance of Iranian art, is the oldest part of Golestan Palace. All kinds of engraving, inlay work and masonry have been done on it, which can be seen in few places.
This bed consists of about 65 large and small marble pieces. The pieces used in this bed include 5 pieces of smooth marble, 7 pieces for stairs, 21 pieces for tarmacs, another 21 pieces for pedestals and columns and sculptures carrying the bed and 12 pieces for small sculptures around the bed. The painting of the marble throne was done by Mirza Baba Shirazi and its sculpture was done by Mohammad Ebrahim Isfahani.
Gallery
Nasser al-Din Shah’s trip to Europe caused changes in his views, the effects of that can be clearly seen in the Golestan Palace complex. The architecture of the gallery part was done by Abul Hassan Memar, who was one of the students of Sani Al-Dawlah and became the architect of Nasser al-Din Shah Bashi due to his high intelligence and talent and presenting very suitable designs. The current gallery contains a selection of works by painters and artists of the late Qajar period.
Main Hall (salam Hall)
Salam Hall, that was named after many ceremonies, was built after Nasser al-Din Shah returned from a trip to Europe. The hall was completed in 1293, but its decoration lasted for almost 3 years.
Special Museum
The museum is for a part of Salam Hall and was established after Nasser al-Din Shah’s first trip to Europe in 1253 AD. The architecture of this building was also the responsibility of Abul Hassan Memar.
The special museum underwent changes in the plastering of walls and ceilings during the Pahlavi period, and it was from this time that this place was called the special museum; Because the most exquisite objects of the Qajar period were used to decorate its interior.
Shams al-Amara
The construction of Shams al-Amara began with the decision of Naser al-Din Shah and Dost Ali Khan in 1282 AH by the great architects and masters of that time such as Ali Mohammad Kashi. This 5-storey building is one of the most interesting historical buildings in Tehran, both in terms of map and appearance and interior design. The mirrors, paintings, and plastering of the walls and ceilings are unique or even unparalleled in Iran in terms of displaying various methods of interior decoration.
Diamond Hall
It is one of the oldest buildings of Golestan Palace, which was built in the southern part of Golestan Garden during the reign of Fath Ali Shah Qajar. This hall is known as the Diamond Hall due to its interior decorations and mirrors. According to Mu’ayyar al-Mamalik, during the reign of Nasser al-Din Shah, various birds were kept in this place, and Nasser al-Din Shah spent his time in this mansion to watch these birds.
Windbreak mansion
The windbreak mansion is also one of the buildings that was built during the reign of Fath Ali Shah. Below this mansion, there is a very large pool house, in the four corners of which there are tall windbreaks, and to decorate them, blue, yellow and black mosaic tiles with golden domes have been used. These wind deflectors play an important role in cooling the air in the pool house, hall and rooms. It is interesting to note that the coronation of Muzaffar al-Din Shah was held in the hall of this mansion due to the intense heat.
