Niavaran Palace

Tehran is a world city in Iran, which is the capital of Iran and is the third largest city in the Middle East. Tehran has museums, parks, restaurants and warm-hearted and hospitable people, which is also unique in terms of entertainment and tourism.

The big city of Tehran during the Zandieh dynasty was a small city. The first Qajar king, Agha Mohammad Khan, introduced the small city of Tehran as the capital of Iran in 1778, and most of the growth of this city was during the reign of Fath Ali Shah. The population of Tehran doubled during the Qajar period and the construction of magnificent palaces and luxurious buildings in Tehran flourished.

Golestan Palace in Tehran and Niavaran Palace are among the glorious Qajar buildings, in this article, we will get acquainted with Niavaran Palace.

There is a historical construction in the middle of an elegant garden in the northern part of Tehran called Niavaran Palace. Covering an area of 9000 square meters, it comprises five buildings. Niavaran Palace was in fact the famous Qajar king’s, Naser al-Din Shah, summer resort which was later expanded by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The main Niavaran Palace was completed in 1968, which was supposed to be a reception hall for royal guests, but changed into the royal residence later.

Its interior design is inspired by Iranian architecture and a touch of modern technology. Although the interior decoration and furniture has been designed and implemented by a French group, a stunning combination of Iranian pre and post-Islamic art is evident in it. There are some precious paintings by Iranian and foreign artists, valuable French and German dishes and treasured Iranian carpets all over the place. The harmony of carpets and curtains is quite eye-catching. The palace is constructed in two floors and a half; the first floor enjoys a great hall for VIP guests and several rooms including a dining room, waiting room halls and a private cinema. The bedrooms are situated in the second floor.

Museums and other sections of Niavaran historical and cultural complex

Apart from the Niavaran private palace building, there are other sections and museums in the Niavaran complex that are worth visiting. In this section, we will introduce these sections:

Niavaran Palace Blue Hall

This hall is located on the north side of Niavaran private palace.

The Blue Hall is about 350 square meters and is located in the Niavaran Garden area. The blue tiles and the beautiful fountain in front of it are the reason for naming the hall with this name. In this hall are two old French Koblen paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, clothing exhibitions are held in this hall.

Sahebgharaniyeh Palace

Sahebgharaniyeh is the oldest building of Niavaran palace which was constructed as a summer resort for Naser al-Din Shah, it became his favorite resort later.

Sahebgharaniyeh is a white building with green gable roof. Graceful Persian architectural elements such as mirror work, colorful glasses and delicate gypsum are noticeable in this construction. There are magnificent paintings everywhere in this palace, most of them portraying Qajar kings and landscapes in Iran. One of the most magnificent parts of this building is the mirror hall, which is also known as “Jahan Nama” hall. The mirror works in this huge hall is extraordinary. The northern and southern windows of the palace overlook a view of Shemiran mountains in Tehran. Mirror hall was mainly used for formal parties a meeting.

Ahmad shahi Pavilion

Ahmad Shahi pavilion is a two-story building with an area of approximately 800 square meters. The architectural design is especially unique and graceful compared to the other buildings in this complex. There is no concrete evidence of its construction date, some attribute it to Ahmad Shah’s summer resort, the last Qajar king who ruled for a short time. During Mohammad Reza reign, this building was used as the residence of the crown prince, Reza, after restoration and some changes in decoration by a group of French designers.

Today, the pavilion is one of the most outstanding buildings in Niavaran palace. Reza’s properties including his stone collection and model planes impress many visitors.

Jahan Nama Museum

Jahan Nama is a museum in Niavarn which was added to the complex in 1977 to host the international gifts of Farah Diba, the queen, and also the various objects she had bought from different parts of the world. Today, ancient objects of great civilizations are displayed in this museum. Among these, works of distinguished artists of 20th century such as Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Marc Chagall, George Braque, Amedeo Modigliani, Paul Gauguin and many contemporary Iranian artists are remarkable.

Private Library

On the northeast of Niavaran complex, there is a two-floor building including a basement, altogether with an area of 770 meters, dating back to 43 years ago to be served as a private library.

Evidence such as the piano and sound equipment shows that the place was used as a music room as well. Using elements of interior design like paintings, furniture and statues has given the atmosphere of a museum to the places.

There are about 23000 volumes of books including 16000 Persian books and some from non-Iranian authors. Excellent travelogues written by famous people traveling to Asia and Iran, collection of paintings particularly by artists of 20th century are only parts of these prosperous library.

Museum of Royal Family’s Vehicles

Niavaran Palace Car Museum is located in the northwest of Niavaran historical-cultural complex and at a distance of 500 meters from Niavaran private palace. The area of this part of Niavaran complex is about 200 square meters.

In this museum, cars and motorcycles belonging to the Pahlavi family, and replicas of cars are on public display. This museum has been created in order to preserve the remaining cars from the Pahlavi era and to show the existing cars and has no specialized application in this field.

Address: Niavaran historical and cultural complex, Shahid Bahonar Square (Niavaran), Tehran, Iran.

Visiting Hours:

Spring and summer: Every day from 9:00 a.m. to 06:00 p.m. except public mourning holidays.

Fall and winter: Every day from 8:00 a.m. to 05:00 p.m. except public mourning holidays.

Tel: 021-22282012