Golestan Palace

Golestan is the oldest surviving palace complex in Tehran and the only noticeable trace of the citadel founded back under the Safavids. The ensemble took its present form under the Qajars, when Tehran became the capital: in the nineteenth century pavilions were built and rebuilt here, a garden with long pools and plane trees was laid out, and the facades were covered all over with tiles. The tilework here is not only blue: the panels carry hunting scenes, landscapes with mountains and waterfalls, portraits and even European motifs, which is unusual for the Persian tradition. The main hall, the Marble Throne, is an open veranda with columns and a carved throne of yellowish marble on which the shahs were crowned. Shams-ol-Emareh, the "Edifice of the Sun", stands separately: a tall block with two towers and a clock, built so that the shah could look down on the city. The inner apartments preserve mirrored halls, glass ceilings and collections of painting, weapons and gifts from the European courts. In 2013 the complex was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

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