The Takyeh Dowlat () was a royal theater in

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. It was the most famous of all the

ta'zieh Ta'zieh (; ; ) means comfort, condolence, or expression of grief. It comes from the roots ''aza'' (عزو and عزى) which mean mourning. It commonly refers to passion plays about the Battle of Karbala and its prior and subsequent events. S ...

performance spaces, for the

Mourning of Muharram Mourning of Muharram (; ; ) is a set of religious rituals observed by Shia Islam, Shia Muslims during the month of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. These annual rituals commemorate the death of Husayn ibn Ali, grandson of the ...

. It had a capacity for more than 4,000 people. Built in 1868 by the order of

Naser al-Din Shah Qajar Naser al-Din Shah Qajar (; ; 17 July 1831 – 1 May 1896) was the fourth Shah of Qajar Iran from 5 September 1848 to 1 May 1896 when he was assassinated. During his rule there was internal pressure from the people of Iran, as well as external ...

, south-east of the

Golestan Palace The Golestan Palace (, ''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 century and finally rebuilt ...

on the site of the

Síyáh-Chál The Síyáh-Chál ( literally "black pit") was a subterrenean dungeon southeast of Golestan Palace in Tehran. It carries a significant role in the history of the Baháʼí Faith, because its founder, Baháʼu'lláh was held there for four month ...

, the royal theater's sumptuous magnificence surpassed that of Europe's greatest opera houses in the opinion of many Western visitors.

Samuel Greene Wheeler Benjamin Samuel Greene Wheeler "S.G.W." Benjamin (February 13, 1837 – July 19, 1914) was an American journalist, author, artist, and diplomat. He was born in Argos, Greece, one of five children of Reverend Nathan Benjamin and Mary Glading Wheel ...

said on his first visit that it was comparable to

Verona Arena The Verona Arena is a Roman amphitheatre located in the historic center of Verona, an iconic symbol of the Venetian city alongside the figures of Romeo and Juliet. It stands as one of the grand structures that defined Roman architecture and ...

. According to

Karim Pirnia Mohammad Karim Pirnia (, 16 September 1920 – 31 August 1997) was an Iranian architectural historian and architect. Early life Born in Yazd, Iran, he studied at what came to be Tehran University The University of Tehran (UT) or Tehran Univer ...

, Hossein-Ali Mehrin was the architect of this building.

Notable events

It was here that

Reza Shah Reza Shah Pahlavi born Reza Khan (15 March 1878 – 26 July 1944) was shah of Iran from 1925 to 1941 and founder of the roughly 53 years old Pahlavi dynasty. Originally a military officer, he became a politician, serving as minister of war an ...

proclaimed the downfall of the

Qajar dynasty The Qajar family (; 1789–1925) was an Iranian royal family founded by Mohammad Khan (), a member of the Qoyunlu clan of the Turkoman-descended Qajar tribe. The dynasty's effective rule in Iran ended in 1925 when Iran's '' Majlis'', conven ...

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

Gallery

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

. File:Tekyeh Dowlat and Badgir Mansion at Golestan Palace.jpg, The Takyeh Dowlat adjacent to ''Emarat-e'' ''Bādgīr'' (the Windcatcher Mansion) in

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

's funeral at the Takyeh Dowlat File:RezaShah Oath Tekyeh Dowlat.jpg,

taking an oath at the Constituent assembly File:Female Spectators at Tekyeh Dowlat.jpg, Spectators at the 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