The Niavaran Palace Complex ( fa, مجموعه کاخ نیاوران – ''Majmue ye Niāvarān'') is a historical palace complex situated in

Shemiran Shemirān ( fa, شمیران, , also Romanized as Shemīrān or Šemirân), also known as Shemirānāt ( fa, شمیرانات ) is the capital of Shemiranat County, Tehran Province, Iran, but is actually located just north of the borders of Teh ...

(northern

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. It consists of several palace buildings and monuments dating back to the

Qajar Qajar Iran (), also referred to as Qajar Persia, the Qajar Empire, '. Sublime State of Persia, officially the Sublime State of Iran ( fa, دولت علیّه ایران ') and also known then as the Guarded Domains of Iran ( fa, ممالک م ...

and Pahlavi eras.

History

The complex traces its origin to a garden in the region of

Niavaran Niavaran ( fa, نياوران) is an affluent and upperclass district in the north of Tehran. Bordering leafy, uphill-winding Darband Street, it can be reached from Tajrish Square, and is close to Darabad at the far north-eastern corner of Gre ...

, which was used as a summer residence by

Fath-Ali Shah Fath-Ali Shah Qajar ( fa, فتحعلى‌شاه قاجار, Fatḥ-ʻAli Šâh Qâjâr; May 1769 – 24 October 1834) was the second Shah (king) of Qajar Iran. He reigned from 17 June 1797 until his death on 24 October 1834. His reign saw the irr ...

(1772–1834) of the

Qajar dynasty The Qajar dynasty (; fa, دودمان قاجار ', az, Qacarlar ) was an IranianAbbas Amanat, ''The Pivot of the Universe: Nasir Al-Din Shah Qajar and the Iranian Monarchy, 1831–1896'', I. B. Tauris, pp 2–3 royal dynasty of Turkic peoples ...

. A pavilion was built in the garden by the order of Naser ed Din Shah (1831–1896) of the same dynasty, which was initially referred to as ''Niavaran'', and was later renamed '' Saheb Qaranie''. The

pavilion In architecture, ''pavilion'' has several meanings: * It may be a subsidiary building that is either positioned separately or as an attachment to a main building. Often it is associated with pleasure. In palaces and traditional mansions of Asia ...

Ahmad Shah Qajar Ahmad Shah Qajar ( fa, احمد شاه قاجار; 21 January 1898 – 21 February 1930) was Shah of Persia (Iran) from 16 July 1909 to 15 December 1925, and the last ruling member of the Qajar dynasty. Ahmad Shah was born in Tabriz on 21 Janu ...

(1898–1930) was built in the late Qajar period. During the reign of the

Pahlavi Dynasty The Pahlavi dynasty ( fa, دودمان پهلوی) was the last Iranian royal dynasty, ruling for almost 54 years between 1925 and 1979. The dynasty was founded by Reza Shah Pahlavi, a non-aristocratic Mazanderani soldier in modern times, who ...

, a new

palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

named ''Niavaran'' was built for the imperial family of Mohammad Reza Shah (1919–1980). The palace was designed in 1958 and completed in 1967. It served a variety of purposes for the imperial court including as a home for the Shah and Empress as well a place to entertain visiting foreign heads of state. On New Year's Eve 1977, the reception and state banquet for US President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

took place here. The Shah and Empress left basically everything behind when they left Iran in January 1979. All of the peripheral buildings of the Saheb Qaranie, with the exception of the Ahmad Shahi Pavilion, were demolished, and the present-day structures were built to the north of the Saheb Qaranie. The Ahmad Shahi Pavilion was then used as an exhibition centre for presents from world leaders to the Iranian imperial monarchs.Niavaran Cultural Historic Complex: History

Private library

Private library of the Niavaran Palace Complex is a historical complex remaining from the

and Pahlavi periods. The library was established by Empress Farah and consists of about 23,000 books, mostly in the

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

and French languages, and specialises in books related to

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

. The library was publicly inaugurated in 1994, on the occasion of

International Museum Day International Museum Day (IMD) is an international day held annually on or around 18 May, coordinated by the International Council of Museums (ICOM). The event highlights a specific theme which changes every year reflecting a relevant theme or ...

.http://oldregion1.tehran.ir/Default.aspx?PageContentMode=1&tabid=21548 Niavaran Cultural – Historical Complex/Private Library, 25 April 2011

Construction

The interior designing of the library was designed by architect Aziz Farmanfarmayan. It has dissimilar features from the point of view of architecture and constructional structure, and was built based on the

contemporary architecture Contemporary architecture is the architecture of the 21st century. No single style is dominant. Contemporary architects work in several different styles, from postmodernism, high-tech architecture and new interpretations of traditional architec ...

prevailing in the 1970s. The building's design was materialized with a combination of

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

and special glass. About 300 well-lit cylinders supply the needed lighting of the library. The library was fully reorganized after twenty five months of practical and hard attempt.

Features

The building is allocated to libraries in three separate levels; the

reading room Reading room may refer to: * Reference library * British Museum Reading Room * Christian Science Reading Room image:5054_christian-science-reading-room-e.jpg, 400px, A typical storefront Christian Science Reading Room on the main street of a subu ...

, the main library, and the audio visual room. In addition, the library includes an underground basement for storing paintings and other artifacts. Other sections of the library include sets of artwork, which number over 350. The works reflect parts of

modern art Modern art includes artistic work produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the styles and philosophies of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the tradi ...

history, particularly the modern tendencies of

Iranian art Persian art or Iranian art () has one of the richest art heritages in world history and has been strong in many media including architecture, painting, weaving, pottery, calligraphy, metalworking and sculpture. At different times, influences ...

in the 1950s and 1960s.

Gallery

File:Niavaran palace library (15).jpg, Books File:Niavaran palace library (16).jpg, The first floor File:Niavaran palace library (17).jpg, Book shelves and glassy cylindrical ceiling File:Niavaran palace library (21).jpg, The first floor File:Niavarn lib IMG 3447.jpg, Another view of inside the library File:Niavaran library IMG 3459.jpg, Another view of inside the library

Gallery

File:2011 Ahmad-Shahi Pavilion Tehran 6214852688 by Kamyar Adl.jpg,

Ahmad Shahi Pavilion Ahmad Shahi Pavilion ( fa, - Koushk-e Ahmad Shāhi) is located in the Niavaran Complex, in the north of Tehran, Iran. Ahmad Shahi Pavilion is beside Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's dwelling, Niavaran Palace and the oldest building there, Sahebgharani ...

File:Sahebgharanie.JPG,

Sahebgharaniyeh Palace The Sahebgharaniyeh Palace (Persian: کاخ صاحبقرانیه) is a palace in Tehran, Iran. Built in 1850 by the order of Nasereddin Shah Qajar, It is one of the only Qajar buildings in the Niavaran complex. History Nasereddin Shah Qajar or ...

File:2011 Sahebqraniyeh Palace Tehran 6250140114.jpg, The Imperial office of the Shah within the Saheb Qaranie. File:Niavaran Palace garden.jpg, Area in front of the Niavaran Mansion. File:غروب در پنجره کاخ.jpg, The gate of the Niavaran Mansion. File:تالار کاخ نیاوران، از نمای بالا.jpg, Inside the Niavaran Mansion. File:Nyavaran Palace.JPG, Inside the Niavaran Mansion. File:درون کاخ.jpg, Inside the Niavaran Mansion. File:Kooshk ahmad shahi IMG 3588.jpg,

File:Inside of ahmadshahi palace.jpg, Inside the

. File:NiavaranPalaceTehran.jpg, Area in front of the Pavilion. File:Ahmad Shahs Pavilion.jpg,

File:Farah Pahlavi's dressing table.jpg File:IMG 3360niavaran.jpg File:Alireza pahlavi room.jpg File:Niavaran-main-palace.jpg File:Mreza cloth2 niavaran.jpg File:Niavaran cinema.jpg

References

External links

Niavaran Cultural Historic Complex
{{Authority control Palaces in Tehran Royal residences in Iran National museums of Iran Houses completed in 1968 Persian gardens in Iran Museums in Tehran Historic house museums in Iran Palaces in Iran

History

Private library

Construction

Features

Gallery

Gallery

See also

References

External links