Up the hill beyond a garden cafe is the remarkable Niyavaran Palace.Built between 1958 and 1968 the palace has a decidedly ‘60s look – clean-lined functionality on the outside contrasting with opulent, European-royal style furniture and enormous, intricately woven carpets inside. Highlights include the magnificent Kerman carpet showing Iranian kings right back to the Achaemenids as well as some European sovereigns, including Napoleon Bonaparte; the shah’s walk-in wardrobe full of dozens of uniforms; a selection of Farah Diba’s very stylish gowns; and the retractable roof that opened the centre of the palace to the sky. Adjoining to the east is a private cinema and tennis courts, and in front of the palace, the modest family swimming pool.
Immediately west of Niyavaran Palace is the Ahmad Shahi Pavilion , an attractive two-storey kiosk dating from the late Qajar period (early 20th century), which was last used as the residence of the crown prince Reza. The prince’s white leather-themed living quarters are a time-warp to the 1970s. Reza’s belongings range from childhood drawings to model planes (he was a pilot), a rock collection (with a moon rock gifted by Richard Nixon) to a polar-bear skin (a gift of the Canadian government).
To get here, take a shuttle taxi east of Tajrish Sq, and ask to be dropped at Shahid Bahonar Sq, near the museum entrance.
