Exploring the Luxurious Palace of Naser al-Din Shah’s Son-in-Law in Shemiran with Unique Architecture + Video

According to Saed News Tourism Service, the Firdows Garden Mansion was once one of the most luxurious palaces in Iran. Its construction was initiated by Hossein Ali Khan Moayer-ol-Mamalek during the reign of Mohammad Shah Qajar.

Moayer-ol-Mamalek, who oversaw the treasury and coin minting during the reigns of Mohammad Shah and Naser al-Din Shah, was the first Iranian to open a bank account abroad at the Royal Bank of Britain, transferring a significant portion of his wealth there.

Son-in-law of Naser al-Din Shah
(Doust Ali Khan Moayer-ol-Mamalek with his son, who later became Naser al-Din Shah’s son-in-law)

The mansion saw further expansion and greater opulence during the time of Hossein Ali Khan’s son, Doust Ali Khan Moayer-ol-Mamalek. He added sections featuring staircases made of premium marble, while the walls of the rooms were covered with embossed golden wallpaper.

The photographs displayed here were likely taken by Antoine Surogin in the late Qajar or early Pahlavi era. By that time, the mansion had been abandoned and was falling into disrepair, traces of which can be seen in some of the images.

Firdows Garden

Despite this, these century-old photographs reveal how dramatically the surroundings of the mansion have changed and the lush landscape that once extended before it.

In 1937, the Ministry of Education purchased and restored the building. In the 1970s, it was transformed into a cultural and exhibition center.