Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
From the ticket office, walk along the long pool to the
Ivan-e Takht-e Marmar
(Marble
Throne Verandah)
, a mirrored, open-fronted audience hall dominated by a magnificent
throne. The throne is supported by human figures and constructed from 65 pieces of yel-
low alabaster mined in Yazd. It was made in the early 1800s for Fath Ali Shah (r
1797-1834), a monarch who managed a staggering (and quite likely very tiring) 200-odd
wives and 170 offspring. This hall was used on ceremonial occasions, including the
Napoleon-style self-coronation of Reza Shah in 1925.
After leaving the Ivan-e Takht-e Marmar you'll come to an opensided corner known as
Khalvat-e Karim Khani
(Karim Khan Nook)
, all that remains of a 1759 building that
served as Karim Khan Zand's (r 1750-79) Tehran residence. But it was Nasser al-Din
Shah who enjoyed this elevated terrace most, smoking qalyan (water pipe) and perhaps
contemplating his next asset sale as
qanat
(underground chanel) water bubbled out of the
marble fountain nearby. His marble tombstone now stands on the terrace.
