Takyeh Dowlat ( fa, تکیه دولت lit. "State Theater") was a Royal Theater in

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 was the most famous of all the

ta'zieh Ta'zieh ( ar, تعزية; fa, تعزیه; ur, ) means comfort, condolence, or expression of grief. It comes from roots ''aza'' (عزو and عزى) which means mourning. Depending on the region, time, occasion, religion, etc. the word can sig ...

performance spaces, for the

Mourning of Muharram The Mourning of Muharram (also known as Azadari, Remembrance of Muharram or Muharram Observances) is a set of commemoration rituals observed primarily by Shia people. The commemoration falls in Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. ...

. It has a capacity for more than 4,000 people. Built in 1868 by

Naser al-Din Shah Qajar Naser al-Din Shah Qajar ( fa, ناصرالدین‌شاه قاجار; 16 July 1831 – 1 May 1896) was the fourth Shah of Qajar Iran from 5 September 1848 to 1 May 1896 when he was assassinated. He was the son of Mohammad Shah Qajar and Malek ...

south-east of the

Golestan Palace The Golestan Palace ( fa, کاخ گلستان, ''Kākh-e Golestān''), also transliterated as the Gulistan Palace and sometimes translated as the Rose Garden Palace from Persian language, was built in the 16th century, renovated in the 18th cent ...

on the site of the

Síyáh-Chál The Síyáh-Chál ( fa, سیاه چال literally "black pit") was a subterrenean dungeon southeast of the palace of the Sháh in Tehran. It carries a significant role in the history of the Baháʼí Faith, because its founder, Baháʼu'lláh w ...

, the Royal Theater's sumptuous magnificence surpassed that of Europe's greatest opera houses in the opinion of many Western visitors. It is comparable to

Verona Arena The Verona Arena ( it, Arena di Verona ) is a Roman amphitheatre in Piazza Bra in Verona, Italy built in 30 AD. It is still in use today and is internationally famous for the large-scale opera performances given there. It is one of the best p ...

Samuel Greene Wheeler Benjamin Samuel Greene Wheeler Benjamin (February 13, 1837 – July 19, 1914) was an American journalist, author, artist, and diplomat.. His parents were American missionaries in Greece. He was born in Argos, Greece, but then educated in the Unite ...

told at his first visit. Karim Pirnia has introduced Hossein-Ali Mehrin as the architect of this building.

Notable events

It was here that

Reza Shah Reza Shah Pahlavi ( fa, رضا شاه پهلوی; ; originally Reza Khan (); 15 March 1878 – 26 July 1944) was an Iranian Officer (armed forces), military officer, politician (who served as Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics (Iran), ...

proclaimed the downfall 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 ...

. The Tekyeh was destroyed in 1947 and a bank building was constructed on the site.The world encyclopedia of contemporary theatre
Volume 3 edited by Don Rubin, p. 215.

Gallery

File:Takiyeh-e Dowlat.JPG, Takyeh Dowlat,

. File:Tekyeh Dowlat and Badgir Mansion at Golestan Palace.jpg, Takyeh Dowlat adjacent to ''Bād gīr Mansion'' in

File:Tekyeh Dowlat Main Entrance.jpg, Main Entrance File:Naser al-Din Shah Qajar's Funeral at Tekyeh Dowlat.jpg,

Naser al-Din Shah Naser al-Din Shah Qajar ( fa, ناصرالدین‌شاه قاجار; 16 July 1831 – 1 May 1896) was the fourth Shah of Qajar Iran from 5 September 1848 to 1 May 1896 when he was assassinated. He was the son of Mohammad Shah Qajar and Malek ...

Qajar's Funeral at Takyeh Dowlat File:RezaShah Oath Tekyeh Dowlat.jpg,

Oath at Constituent assembly File:Female Spectators at Tekyeh Dowlat.jpg, Spectators at Takyeh Dowlat File:Tekiyeh dolat.jpg

References

Takyehs Buildings and structures in Tehran Amphitheaters Theatres in Iran Demolished buildings and structures in Iran Buildings and structures demolished in 1947 {{theatre-struct-stub