The Palace That Smells of Qajar

The Golestan Palace has been a site where many historical decisions of Iran were made, from the time of Karim Khan Zand to the coronation of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The history of Golestan Palace, once known as the Royal Citadel, dates back to the Safavid era. Shah Tahmasp I was the first king to order a wall to be built around Tehran. After him, Shah Abbas Safavid established four gardens and a plane tree grove in the northern part of the Tahmasbi wall, which later had a high wall built around it, and royal buildings constructed within. The oldest existing structures in the Golestan complex, the Marble Throne Hall and Karimkhani Chamber, belong to the era of Karim Khan Zand. He made Tehran the center of his military campaigns against Mohammad Hassan Khan Qajar and, after winning, took control of Iran's government in the old Diwan house of Tehran, built during Shah Soleiman's time, under the title of 'Wali al-Ra'aya'. By his command, the citadel wall was revived that summer, and a set of harem and private chambers and a government building were constructed inside it. He ordered the construction of a large Diwan house in the citadel in Sassanian style, along with a garden beside it. Most of the significant buildings in Golestan Palace were constructed under the orders of Fath Ali Shah and Naser al-Din Shah. Fath Ali Shah ordered famous Isfahani stonecutters to create a throne from yellow marble from Yazd, which was placed in the Marble Throne Hall upon completion. The Marble Throne Hall was where the greeting ceremonies and public audiences for various classes of people were held. One of the main sections of the palace is the Salutation and Mirror Hall, built during Naser al-Din Shah's reign. One reason for the fame of the Mirror Hall is a painting by Kamal al-Mulk of Naser al-Din Shah. The Salutation Hall, initially called the Museum Hall, was constructed after Naser al-Din Shah returned from his first trip to Europe, where he became acquainted with the concept of a museum. Upon his return, he began constructing a large hall over nine years that resembled a palace museum. After completion, he placed various valuable objects in this hall according to his taste. After the Peacock Throne was moved to this hall and special and official greetings were held there, the Museum Hall took on the name Salutation Hall. In 1345 (1966), due to the coronation ceremony of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in this hall, its museum arrangement was completely transformed into its current form. Among the objects in this palace were beautiful dishes, the most interesting of which included the porcelain service from the Napoleonic Wars, a service gifted by Nicholas I, a jewel-encrusted service gifted by Queen Victoria, and a service made from precious stones gifted by Alexander III. One of the most prominent buildings in Golestan Palace is the Shams al-Emareh, which was the first tall building in Tehran at that time. It seems that before traveling to Europe, Naser al-Din Shah was inspired by images of foreign buildings and desired to create a tall structure in his capital from which he could view the city and its surroundings with his courtiers. The Windcatcher building is another beautiful structure in Golestan Palace where Mozafar al-Din Shah was crowned. In this building, all the walls are covered with paintings, mirror work, and tile work. Below the Windcatcher building was a large summer room. This summer room was cooled by the wind flowing from four windcatchers and aided by the central pool where the water from the royal qanat flowed. Thus, in summer, if the Qajar kings did not go to their summer residence, they would use this pool house. Besides these buildings, Golestan Palace includes structures such as the Gallery, Pool House, Ivory Hall, Photo House, and Diamond Hall. During Reza Shah's era, Golestan Palace underwent fundamental changes. Reza Shah Pahlavi was crowned in the Marble Throne Hall, but moved his residence to Saadabad and later during Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi's reign to Niavaran, turning the Golestan complex into a place for hosting foreign guests. During Reza Shah Pahlavi's time, large sections of the Tehran citadel, including its surrounding wall, the Bab-e Ali entrance, the office building, the gallery, the Tekiyeh Dowlat, the Naranjistan, the Golshan Garden, and the inner buildings were demolished. In place of these buildings, structures such as the current Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance building were constructed.