SAEDNEWS: The elegant Bagh-e Ferdows, once Hossein Ali Khan Moayer-ol-Mamalek’s home, was a lavish gift from Naser al-Din Shah to his daughter Esmat-od-Dowleh. Its famous “elephant ear” Qajar windows and gardens even hosted Hossein Ali Khan’s wedding celebration.
According to Saed News’ Society Service, quoting Hamshahri, Ferdows Garden in Tajrish is one of the lands that Haj Mirza Aghasi, the last prime minister of Mohammad Shah Qajar, gifted to the king toward the end of his life. After Mohammad Shah’s death, the garden came into the hands of Naser al-Din Shah. When Naser al-Din Shah married off his daughter to Hossein Ali Khan Moayer al-Mamalek, he presented this garden to them as a wedding gift. The wedding ceremony was held here, and the garden subsequently became the summer residence of the Moayer al-Mamalek family.
This beautiful mansion, with over 150 years of history, is renowned for its charm and for the famous Ferdows qanat, which supplied water to this area and several neighboring villages. The garden’s basement houses a unique pool hall inspired by European architecture, with an intricately decorated stucco ceiling. Today, this space serves as the Cinema Museum of Iran. Over the years, Ferdows Garden has changed hands multiple times, sometimes gaining beauty, sometimes losing parts to theft or destruction.
During the Qajar era, the garden’s grounds and seven large pools made it an ideal venue for Ta’zieh performances, a form of traditional Persian theater depicting religious stories. Naser al-Din Shah would often visit the garden to watch these performances, as documented in the memoirs of Etemad al-Saltaneh: “Today, the Shah went to the Moayer al-Mamalek residence for Ta’zieh.”
After the Islamic Revolution, Ferdows Garden was entrusted to the country’s cultural authorities and became Iran’s first and sole cinema museum, providing a dedicated space to preserve the legacy of the seventh art, celebrate its achievements, and host cinematic and artistic events. Notable figures such as Abbas Kiarostami and Ezzatollah Entezami played crucial roles in establishing this museum.
The museum houses the Palme d’Or, the most prestigious award at the Cannes Film Festival, which was awarded to Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami for Taste of Cherry, along with numerous other cinematic artifacts. Today, Ferdows Garden and the Cinema Museum together stand as one of Tehran’s most captivating attractions, drawing visitors from both Iran and around the world.
