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Mount Damavand

Mount Damavand is located around 60 kilometers northeast of the city in the eastern side of the Lar National Park where it towers above the surrounding area. It is located in southern part of Caspian Sea. Mount Damavand has an elevation of 5670 meters and its summit shows a small volcano crater. It is the highest point in the Middle East and the highest volcano in Asia. Mount Damavand is described as being a strato-volcano meaning that it is built up from layers of volcanic rock. It stands in an area which has been volcanically active and it rises from the southern rim of a 9 km wide caldera which is especially a large crater formed, when a volcano collapses into itself. There are certainly no historical records of Damavand erupting and scientific evidence shows that its last eruption occurred in 5300 BC. There could be a temptation to describe it as a dormant volcano, but the summit of Mount Damavand does emit spurts of hot sulfurous gases known as fumaroles and at lower levels, hot springs emerge indicating volcanic activity fairly close to the surface.

Mount Damavand

Mount Damavand is the highest volcanic peak in the Middle East which is also a national heritage site and national symbol of resistance and has a significant place in Persian mythology.  In the topographic map of Iran, the location of Mount Damavand is marked as Central Alborz, an area known for some other prominent peaks such as Alam-Kuh and Tochal. There are more than 16 routes for climbing Mount Damavand the most popular being the southern route. Iranian Mountain Federation Camp in Polour village near Damavand usually serves as the first base for the mountaineers. There are shelters in all of the major routes including Bargah Sevom Camp on the southern route, Takht-e Fereydoun on the northeastern route and Sīmorgh shelter on the western route which is adored by mountaineers for its exquisite sunset view. There are several hot water springs and fumaroles from which hot sulfur emits forth, reminding the people that this beast of a mountain has a heart of fire beneath its snowy facade.  In the Iranian myth of origin, Damavand is cited as the kingdom of Keyumars, the first human being and lawgiver. Jamshid, the mightiest king of Iran’s mythical history flew from the zenith of Damavand in a chariot driven by the subdued demons. Zahhak, the most atrocious villain in Iranian legends was nailed to a wall in Damavand by the great hero Fereydun. Arash, the tragic hero, sacrificed his life in throwing an arrow from the peak of Damavand to expand the territory of Iranian Empire.

Mount Damavand

Tehran National Garden

The National Garden is one of the buildings on Imam Khomeini street, which was known as the icon of the Tehran before the they create of Azadi Tower and is today one of the spectacular Iran attractions. The National Garden was built during the Qajar era and saw many changes in subsequent years. The National Garden was originally the gateway to the Mashgh Square, which was very important at that time. Shortly after building the gate, the first public garden entitled “National Garden” was founded in the lands of Mashgh square and so it has been renamed to “The Gate of National Garden”. It was then turned into a public park for a short while, and eventually important governmental offices and museums were constructed around it. In the upper part of the building, monitoring station, timpanist and the armed forces passage have been designed. The Gate of National Garden has a gateway for car pass and two for pedestrians.

Tehran National Garden

Mashgh Square and this beautiful courtyard are built in Qajar dynasty. The square area was a military area and the Imperial military force practiced there, and this site was built at the time of Fath Ali Shah for this purpose. This area also had a central barrack, which the military forces were organizing there at that time, and therefore became known as the Mashgh Square. This Square was constructed during the period of Fath Ali Shah Qajar and was launched during Nasir al-Din Shah Period. At that time, a beautiful gate was constructed for the Mashgh square, which comprised with a two-arched door in south- eastern side of the field, and was known as the Naseri door, where in some days Nasir al-Din Shah, from above, Watched the military.

Tehran National Garden

The National Garden is one of the architectural monuments of Iran which is a combination of Iranian and European architectural style and is more visible in paving and tile work. The National garden base, its eight columns and the legs of the pillars are made of brick. The exterior inscriptions are decorated with poems and in its tiling design they used two lions, leopards, lions and sun and machine guns. The building, which was originally intended as the gateway to the Mashgh Square, after a long time after its construction, the plan to create the first park or public garden in the city of Tehran was landed on this Square, and after that the name of the gate changed to the National Garden.

Tehran National Garden

Niavaran Palace Complex

Niavaran Palace Complex is situated in the northern part of Tehran with 9000 square meters area in Niavaran Neighborhood. This oasis complex is consists of several parts including palaces, museums, and garden. Niavaran Complex traces its origin to a garden in this region which was used as the summer residence of Fath Ali Shah of the Qajar dynasty. It consists of several buildings and a museum. A pavilion was built in the garden by the order of Naser al-Din Shah which was initially referred to as Niavaran and later it was renamed to Saheb Qaraniyeh. The pavilion of Ahmad Shah was also built in the late Qajar period.

Niavaran Palace Complex

During the reign of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi all the peripheral buildings of The Saheb Qraniyeh Palace, with the exception of The Ahmad Shah Pavilion, were demolished and the buildings and the structures of the present day Niavaran Palace Complex were built to the north of The Saheb Qaraniyeh Palace. In this period, The Ahmad Shah Pavilion served as an exhibition area of the presents of the world leaders to Iran.

Niavaran Palace Complex

The quadrilateral design of the palace and its interior archeological designing is inspired by Iranian archeology while making use of modern technology. Its decorations have also been inspired by the pre and post Islamic art. The gypsum work has been carried out by Master Abdollahi, the mirror work by Master Ali Asghar, the tile work of the outer part by Master Ibrahim Kazempour and Ilia. The building floor is covered by black stone and has an aluminum sliding roof. The internal decoration and furniture of the palace have been designed and implemented by a French group. In the ground floor of this building there is a great hall in which all the rooms are situated, including a private cinema, dining room, guest room, waiting room and lateral halls as well as the Blue Hall.

Niavaran Palace Complex

The amazing library of the palace consists of around 23,000,000 books, mostly in Persian and French languages and especially many books related to philosophy. The building is designed by bronze and glass and the structure is lit well by 300 cylinders that supply the needed lighting of the reading room, audio visual room and the main library. In the basement of this private library, there is a special place for storing paintings and other artifacts.

Niavaran Palace Complex

Golestan Palace

Golestan Palace in Tehran is a fine example of Persian art, history, and architecture. It is the valuable gem sitting in the heart of Tehran carrying memories from Safavid era to Pahlavi kings. Palace complex consists of eight key palace structures mostly used as museums and the eponymous gardens, a green shared center of the complex, surrounded by an outer wall with gates. The complex exemplifies architectural and artistic achievements of the Qajar era including the introduction of European motifs and styles into Persian arts. It was not only used as the governing base of the Qajar Kings but also functioned as a recreational and residential compound and a center of artistic production.

Golestan Palace

Golestan Palace represents a unique and rich testimony of the architectural language and decorative art during the Qajar era represented mostly in the legacy of Naser al-Din Shah. It reflects artistic inspirations of European origin as the earliest representations of synthesized European and Persian style, which became so characteristic of Iranian art and architecture in the late 19th and 20th centuries. It represents an important example of the merging of Persian arts and architecture with European styles and motifs and the adaptation of European building technologies, such as the use of cast iron for load bearing, in Persia. As such Golestan Palace can be considered an exceptional example of an east-west synthesis in monumental arts, architectural layout and building technology, which has become a source of inspiration for modern Iranian artists and architects. Also, parts of the palace complex can be seen as the origins of the modern Iranian artistic movement.

Golestan Palace

Golestan Palace stands on the site of the historic Arg of Tehran which was originally built in the time of Shah Abbas of the Safavid dynasty. Buildings commissioned by Naser Al-din Shah  such as the Shams ol-Emaneh and the Badgir Mansion show traces of a European architectural style and building technology that the modernizing king was influenced by on his travels.

Golestan Palace

The Golestan Palace complex is made up of 17 buildings with eight key structures. In its present form, it comprises several different buildings and halls, including the following: the Marble Throne Building, Karim Khani Palace, Diamond Hall, the Wind Tower Building, Hall of Ivory, Shams ol-Emareh, Reception Hall, Special Museum, Hall of Mirrors, Hall of Brilliant Diamonds, White Palace, and the Chador Khaneh or Tent House.

Golestan Palace

Khatamkari

Khatamkari literally means decorating objects’ surfaces with small pieces like tiles and it is one of the Persian arts wherein the surface of wooden or metallic articles is decorated with pieces of wood, bone and metal cut in a variety of shapes and designs.

Khatamkari

This art, to some extent, has existed in Iran from long ago. Inlaid articles in the Safavid era took on a special significance, as artists used this art on doors, windows, mirror frames, Qur’an boxes, pen and pen holders, lanterns and tombs.

Khatamkari

Also, in some royal buildings, doors and various items have been inlaid. The inlaid-ornamented rooms in Sa’dabad and Marble Palace in Tehran are among masterpieces of this art.

Khatamkari

Incorporating techniques from China and improving it with Persian know-how, this craft existed for more than 700 years and is still practiced in Shiraz and Isfahan.

How to do it

Gold, silver and etc. can be used for collector coins. These rods are first assembled into triangular beams with geometric patterns, and then these are assembled again and glued into bundles in a strict order to form a cylinder of about 70cm, whose edge shows the unity of the base of the final decoration.

Khatamkari

These cylinders are then sheared in shorter cylinders, then compressed and dried between two wooden plates, before undergoing a final cut that makes slices of about 1 mm in thickness. The latter are then ready to be plated and glued on the support object to be decorated before being lacquered. They can be preheated to soften them, if the object is curved, so that they can perfectly marry the curves. The decorated objects are: boxes, chess or backgammon, frames, or even musical instruments.

Khatamkari

The Khatam technique can also be applied to the famous Persian miniatures, thus creating true works of art.

Khatamkari

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