The Marble Palace (, ''Kākh-e Marmar'') is a historic building and former royal residence 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. It is located in the city centre, but the location was a quiet quarter of Tehran when the palace was erected.

History

The property in which the Marble Palace is situated used to belong to

Abdol-Hossein Farman Farma Abdol-Hossein Farman-Farma (; 1857 – November 1939) was a prominent Iranian prince of the Qajar dynasty and one of the most influential Iranian politicians in the Qajar Iran, Qajar era. Born in Tabriz to Firuz Mirza, Prince Nosrat Dowleh Fir ...

, a

Qajar The Guarded Domains of Iran, alternatively the Sublime State of Iran and commonly called Qajar Iran, Qajar Persia or the Qajar Empire, was the Iranian state under the rule of the Qajar dynasty, which was of Turkic origin,Cyrus Ghani. ''Iran an ...

Prince. His son had a mansion in the property. The Marble Palace was built between 1934 and 1937. It was constructed on the orders of Reza Shah by French engineer Joseph Leon and Iranian architect Fat'hollah Firdaws. It was originally built to host official functions and receptions. The palace was used as the residence of both Reza Shah and

Mohammad Reza Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (26 October 1919 – 27 July 1980) was the last Shah of Iran, ruling from 1941 to 1979. He succeeded his father Reza Shah and ruled the Imperial State of Iran until he was overthrown by the Iranian Revolution, which ...

. Reza Shah and his fourth spouse

Esmat Dowlatshahi Esmat ol-Molouk Dowlatshahi (; 1905 – 25 July 1995) was an Iranian royal and the fourth and last wife of Reza Shah. Early life Dowlatshahi was born in 1905. She was a member of the Qajar dynasty. Her father was Gholam Ali Mirza "Mojalal Dowleh ...

lived at the palace with their five children until Reza Shah's exile in 1941. Reza Shah signed his letter of abdication at the palace in September 1941. Numerous significant royal events occurred during the reign of Mohammad Reza Shah. It was one of his two significant palaces in addition to

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 ...

. The Marble palace was identified with the Shah's persona in the 1950s. The palace hosted all three marriage ceremonies of the Shah. The Iranian wedding ceremony of the Shah and his first spouse,

Princess Fawzia Fawzia of Egypt (; 5 November 1921 – 2 July 2013), also known as Fawzia Pahlavi or Fawzia Chirine, was an Egyptian princess who became Queen of Iran as the first wife of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran. Fawzia was the daughter of Fuad I, ...

, was held at the palace in 1939, and it was their residence until their divorce in 1945. In October 1950, the betrothal ceremony and in February 1951, the wedding ceremony of the Shah and his second spouse,

Soraya Esfandiary Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiary (; 22 June 1932 – 25 October 2001) was Queen of Iran as the second wife of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, whom she married in 1951. Their marriage suffered many pressures, particularly when it became clear that she wa ...

, were held at the palace. Both betrothal and marriage of the Shah to his third wife,

Farah Diba Farah Pahlavi (; []; born 14 October 1938) is the former Queen and last Empress () of Pahlavi Iran and is the third wife and widow of the last List of monarchs of Iran, Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. She was born into a prosperous Ira ...

, also occurred at the palace.

Shahnaz Pahlavi Shahnaz Pahlavi (, born 27 October 1940) is the first child of the former Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and his first wife, Fawzia of Egypt. Early life and education Shahnaz Pahlavi was born in Tehran on 27 October 1940, a year before t ...

, daughter of the Shah and Princess Fawzia, also wed

Ardeshir Zahedi Ardeshir Zahedi, GCVO (; 16 October 1928 – 18 November 2021) was a prominent Iranian politician and diplomat who served as the country's foreign minister from 1966 to 1971, and its ambassador to the United States and the United Kingdom during ...

at the palace in October 1957. In addition, the palace hosted the Shah's 48th birthday party. The palace witnessed a five-day protest of

Mohammad Mosaddegh Mohammad Mosaddegh (, ; 16 June 1882 – 5 March 1967) was an Iranian politician, author, and lawyer who served as the 30th Prime Minister of Iran from 1951 to 1953, elected by the 1950 Iranian legislative election, 16th Majlis. He was a membe ...

's supporters between 14 and 19 October 1949 who could not secure a seat in the election. They were eighteen former Parliament members, newspaper editors, and religious leaders, including

Hossein Fatemi Hossein Fatemi (; also Romanized as Hoseyn Fātemi; 10 February 1917 – 10 November 1954) was an Iranian scholar. A close associate of Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, he proposed nationalization of Iranian oil and gas assets. Initially a jou ...

and

Shamseddin Amir-Alai Shamseddin Amir-Alai (1900–August 1994) was an Iranian politician who served as both interior minister and justice minister in the first cabinet of Mohammad Mosaddegh. He also held other government and diplomatic posts. Early life and educati ...

, who entered the palace to meet with the Shah to express their concerns about the election. The meeting occurred at the palace on 19 October. Besides these events the Shah also survived an assassination attempt at the palace on 10 April 1965 perpetrated by an Iranian soldier. Following this event which is known as the Marble Palace Plot the palace was no longer in use and was made by the Shah a museum on 20 June 1970.

Style and technical features

The design of the two story palace was first developed by Ostad Jafar Khan. However, the final sketch was produced by Ostad Haidar Khan. The overall architectural style of the palace is eclectic, combining Eastern, including

architectural features, and Western architectural styles. The palace is surrounded by a garden. The external surface of the palace is of white marble. The stone entrance of the palace where two statues of

Achaemenid The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire, also known as the Persian Empire or First Persian Empire (; , , ), was an Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty in 550 BC. Based in modern-day Iran, it was the large ...

soldiers holding arrows were erected particularly reflects eclectic architectural style. These statues were carved by Iranian artist Jafar Khan. The palace has other gates which were made by local craftsmen from different provinces. The palace is covered by a huge dome that is a

replica A replica is an exact (usually 1:1 in scale) copy or remake of an object, made out of the same raw materials, whether a molecule, a work of art, or a commercial product. The term is also used for copies that closely resemble the original, without ...

of the

Sheikh Lotfollah mosque The Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque (;) is a Shi'ite mosque, located on the eastern side of Naqsh-e Jahan Square, Isfahan, Isfahan province, Iran. Construction of the mosque started in and was finished in and it is one of the masterpieces of Iranian ...

Isfahan Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...

. The dome is covered by

arabesque The arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements. Another definition is "Foliate ...

tiles with scroll-like patterns. The internal area of the palace is highly formal with heavily carved doors and extremely high ceilings. The palace has a very large reception room where mirrors are used like in many mosques and holy shrines in the country. The room is known as the "Hall of Mirrors". The interior of the palace was furnished by rich fabrics and rugs. Decorations were made by the Iranian architect Hossein Lorzadeh. The tiles used at the palace were produced by Ostad Yazdi and paintings by Ostad Behzad. The land area of the palace is , of which is used for residence.

Current usage

After the

1979 Islamic revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Impe ...

, the palace was used as a museum until 1981. Then it was given to the

expediency discernment council The Expediency Discernment Council of the System ( ''Majma'-e Tašxis-e Maslahat-e Nezâm'') is an administrative assembly of Iran appointed by the Supreme Leader of Iran, Supreme Leader and was created upon the revision to the Constitution of ...

. Local people reported that the palace had been used by senior politicians of

the Islamic Republic of 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 ...

. The historical items used at the palace, including furniture, are being exhibited at the decorative arts museum in Tehran. The palace had been closed to the public until July 2020 when it was redesigned as the museum of arts following its acquisition by the

Mostazafan Foundation The Mostazafan Foundation of Islamic Revolution () formerly Bonyad-e Mostazafan va Janbazan (Foundation of the Oppressed and Disabled or "MFJ") is a charitable ''bonyad'', or foundation, in the Islamic Republic of Iran, the second-largest commerci ...

in 2019.

Gallery

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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Marble Palace 1937 establishments in Iran Buildings and structures in Tehran Houses completed in 1937 Palaces in Tehran Royal residences in Iran