The Wheel and Axle

Persia 2017: Golestan Palace

by on Oct.05, 2017, under My Life, Travel & Culture

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Golestan Palace
Tehran, Iran
22 September 2017

A UNESCO World Heritage site, the Golestan Palace complex includes palaces, museums, halls, fountains, and lush greenery. With a history within Tehran’s citadel going back to the 1500s, the palace later became the seat of the Qajar dynasty. The palace was rebuilt in 1865 and stands proud to this day.

With our limited time in Tehran, we chose to enter only specific buildings in the vast complex. The Main Hall is a spectacular palace, filled with relics and artifacts from Persia, India, and Europe from a few hundred years ago. Other than the Main Hall, we went inside the museum in Shams-ol-Emareh (Edifice of the Sun), with its clock tower standing tall between twin symmetric towers and with its highly-polished mirror “walls” that reflect the sunlight beautifully.

The walls surrounding the complex are also ornately decorated with Persian patterns as well as depictions of various stories and/or events. No photography is allowed inside the museums, but the art pieces and architecture inside are absolutely fascinating: ranging in influence from Persian to European to Indian to a lot more in between.

To end our day in Golestan Palace, we took a rest at the cafe and tried their specialty: Iranian Syrup, a refreshing combination of mint, damask rose, and other good stuff.

The cafe itself is a great place that transports you to an older time of Persian culture and gatherings. After a few more pictures outside the cafe, we ended our day at Golestan: well-worth the time.

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