Golestan Palace

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Golestan Palace
Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List
Type Cultural
Criteria i, ii, iii, iv
Reference 1422
UNESCO region Asia-Pacific
Inscription history
Inscription 2013 (37th Session)

The Golestan Palace (Persian: کاخ گلستان - Kāx e Golestān‎‎), literally the Roseland Palace, is the former royal Qajar complex in Iran's capital city, Tehran.

The oldest of the historic monuments in Tehran, and of world heritage status,[1] the Golestan Palace belongs to a group of royal buildings that were once enclosed within the mud-thatched walls of Tehran’s Historic Arg (citadel). It is a masterpiece of beautiful garden and buildings consist of collection of Iranian crafts and European presents from 18th and 19th century.[2]

History

Tehran’s Historic Arg was built during the reign of Tahmasp I (r. 1524-1576) of the Safavid dynasty (1502–1736), and was later renovated by Karim Khan of Zand (r. 1750-1779). Agha Mohammad Khan of Qajar (1742–1797) chose Tehran as his capital. The Arg became the site of the Qajar (1794–1925). The Court and the Golestan Palace became the official residence of the royal Qajar family. The palace was rebuilt to its current form in 1865 by Haji Ab ol Hasan Mimar Navai.

During the Pahlavi era (1925–1979), Golestan Palace was used for formal royal receptions, and the Pahlavi dynasty built their own palace at Niavaran (Niavaran Palace Complex). The most important ceremonies, held in the palace during the Pahlavi era, were the coronation of Reza Shah (r. 1925-1941) on the Marble Throne and the coronation of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (r. 1941-deposed 1979) in the Museum Hall.

In between 1925 and 1945, a large portion of the buildings of the palace were destroyed on the orders of Reza Shah. He believed that the centuries-old Qajar palace should not hinder the growth of a modern city. In the place of the old buildings, commercial buildings with the modern style of 1950s and 1960s were erected.

Palaces

Golestan Palace Complex consists of 17 structures including palaces, museums, and halls. Almost all of this complex was built during the 200 years ruling of Qajarian kings.[3] These palaces were used for many different occasions such as coronation and other important celebrations. It also consists of three main archives as the royal photographic archive collection 'Album khane', the royal library of manuscripts 'Ketabkhane Nosakhe khati' and the archive of documents 'Markaze asnad'.[4]

The Marble Throne (Takht e Marmar)

Main article: Marble Throne
The Marble Throne

This spectacular terrace, known as the Marble Throne, was built in 1806 by order of Fath Ali Shah of 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 Naqash 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, 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. The last coronation to be held at the Marble Throne was the coronation of Reza Shah Pahlavi, in 1925.

Karim Khani Nook (Khalvat e Karim Khani)

Dating back to 1759, this building was a part of the interior residence of Karim Khan of Zand. The basic structure of the Karim Khani Nook is similar to the Marble Throne. Like the latter, it is a terrace. There is a small marble throne inside the terrace. The structure is much smaller than the Marble Throne 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.

Panoramic view of the Karim Khani Nook

Nasser ol Din Shah was fond of this corner of the Golestan Palace. He is said to have spent much time here in rest and repose, smoking his water-pipe in quiet reflection. In fact, some believe that it was Nasser ol Din who dubbed the structure "Khalvat" (nook). It seems extraordinary, but the valuable gravestone of Nasser ol Din Shah finally found its way to this quiet corner of the palace after being misplaced for some time. The marble stone, with an engraving of Nasser ol Din Shah's image, is indeed a sight to behold.

Pond House (Howz Khaneh)

The Pond House, painted by Kamal ol Molk

Works of European painters presented to the Qajar court are housed in the Pond House.

The Pond House was used as a summer chamber during the Qajar era. A special cooling system pumped water from a subterranean system of streams, into small ponds inside the chambers. 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.

Picture House/Gallery (Negar Khaneh)

Nasser ol Din Shah was very impressed by the exhibition of artifacts and valuable objects at European museums during his second European tour around 1872. He arrived back in Tehran intent on building a museum hall to exhibit paintings, royal jewels, and other royal artifacts.

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 Pond House and the works of Iranian painters housed in the Picture House.

Meant to show the evolution of painting in Iran during the Qajar era, the works of Iranian painters are exhibited in two sections:

Brilliant Hall (Talar e Brelian)

Brilliant Hall was named so for it is adorned by the brilliant mirror work of Iranian artisans. The hall was built by the order of Nasser ol Din Shah to replace another hall called Talar e Bolour (Crystal Hall). Built by Fath Ali Shah, the Crystal Hall had been laid waste by the damp. The Brilliant Hall is famous for its mirror work and chandeliers. An oil painting by Yahya Khan (Sani 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.

In the ethnography gallery in Horsham Museum of Horsham in the United Kingdom, an Iranian tile is displayed. The tile, according to Dr. Mehdittodjat (the former Deputy Minister of Culture and Higher Education of Iran), comes from the Golestan Palace. It comes from the entrance to the Brilliant Hall and was probably a reject (or may have been retrieved) from the rebuilding of the palace in the period 1867-92. It was found, smashed beneath a gatepost in Shipley by Mr. and Mrs. Ayling, who kindly donated it to the Museum. The plaque has been set in plaster, and unfortunately not all the glazed decoration survived.

Museum of Gifts

This building is located under the Salam Hall. It is indeed a part of the first Iranian museum, which was built by Mohammad Ebrahim Khan Memar Bashi.

In Nasser ol 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 were given to the Qajar kings.

Right now, in addition to the gifts, some rare objects are kept in this museum. Some of them include:

Containers Hall (Talar e Zoroof)

This building replaced the building of Narenjestan in the north of the Ivory Hall (Talar e Adj). All the chinaware that were dedicated to Qajar kings by the European kings were taken to this room and were arranged in show cases which were built for this purpose.

Among the chinaware in this hall, these are the most exceptional:

Ivory Hall (Talar e Adj)

Ivory Hall is a large hall used as a dining room. It was decorated with some gifts presented to Nasser ol Din Shah by European monarchs.

Among the Golestan Palace collection, a watercolor by Mahmoud Khan Saba (Malek ol Shoara), shows the exterior view of this hall during the Qajar period.

Mirror Hall (Talar e Aineh)

Mirror Hall, painted by Kamal ol Molk

Mirror Hall is the most famous of the palace halls. This relatively small hall is famous for its extraordinary mirror work. The hall was designed by Haj Abd ol Hossein Memar Bashi (Sanie ol Molk). Yahya Khan (Mowtamed ol Molk), who was the Minister of Architecture, acted as a consultant to the designer.

Salam Hall (Talar e Salam)

Entrance of Salam Hall

Salam (Reception) Hall was originally designed to be a museum. After the Sun Throne (Takht e Khorshid) was moved to the Royal Jewels Museum at the Central Bank of Iran, this hall was designated to hold special receptions in the presence of the king, hence the name Salam Hall.

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 of Iran.

Edifice of the Sun (Shams ol Emareh)

Edifice of the Sun is the most stunning structure of the Golestan Palace.

The idea of building a tall structure came to Nasser ol Din Shah who wanted a structure from which he could have panoramic views of the city.

Designed by Moayer ol Mamalek, construction on this building began in 1865 and was completed two years later. Its architect was Ali Mohammad Kashi.

The building has two identical towers. The exterior views have multiple arches, intricate tile work and ornate windows. This building's two towers are in fact small versions of the Safavid viewing palace of Ālī Qāpū in Isfahan.

The Building of Windcatchers (Emarat e Badgir)

See also: Windcatcher
The Building of Windcatchers
One of the Windcatchers

The Building of Windcatchers was constructed during the reign of Fath Ali Shah. The building underwent major renovations, including structural changes, during the reign of Nasser ol Din Shah.

A watercolor rendering by Mahmoud Khan (Malek ol Shoara) depicts the original structure prior to renovations.

It is flanked by two rooms known as "Gooshvar" (corner-like). There is a central room which boasts the finest stained glass window in the Golestan Palace. Outside, there are four wind towers of blue, yellow and black glazed tiles and a golden cupola.

The Windcatchers are constructed to allow the cooling wind move through the structure.

Diamond Hall (Talar e Almas)

Diamond Hall is located in the southern wing of the Golestan Palace, next to the building of Windcatchers. It is called "Diamond" Hall because of the exceptional mirror work inside the building.

The construction of this hall dates back to the time of Fath Ali Shah. 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 apt that this hall should be devoted to the exhibition of art and handicrafts from that period.

Abyaz Palace

The Ottoman king, Sultan Abd ol Hamid, sent precious gifts to Nasser ol Din Shah. Reportedly, these gifts were copious and enough to fill a castle. The Qajar monarch decided to build an exhibit hall worthy of these gifts within the confines of the Golestan Palace. It is believed that Nasser ol Din Shah, himself, designed the structure, with a central hall large enough to house the carpet which was sent by Sultan Abd ol Hamid.

Completed in 1883, the Abyaz (White) Palace now houses one of the most interesting ethological museums in Iran. There is a colorful exhibition of traditional Iranian costumes, as well as a folk art exhibition

The Photographic Archive There is an excellent early photographic collection in Golestan palace museum. The most photos are related to the time that first process of photography established in Europe in 19th. Naser-e-din shah the Qajar king had been so interested in photography so he created this collection. It is mentioned that 'as Photography was so common at the royal palace that the king’s wives and his servants also took pictures and posed playfully in front of the camera. There is a picture of one servant with flowers decorating his head and shoulders'.[5]


In its present state, Golestan Palace is the result of roughly 400 years constructions and renovations.

On 2005 October 11, the Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran submitted the palace to the UNESCO for inclusion into the World Heritage List in 2007. On 2013 June 23, it was proclaimed as world heritage site during the UNESCO meeting in Phnom Penh.

The Golestan Palace is currently operated by the Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Golestan Palace.

References

  1. ↑ unesco
  2. ↑ http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1422
  3. ↑ http://www.golestanpalace.ir/
  4. ↑ http://dissertationreviews.org/archives/12143
  5. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/30/arts/design/30phot.html?_r=0
  6. ↑ iranian.com

External links

Coordinates: 35°40′47″N 51°25′13″E / 35.67972°N 51.42028°E / 35.67972; 51.42028

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