Golestan Palace


World Heritage Identification Number: 1422

World Heritage since: 2013

Category: Cultural Heritage

Transboundary Heritage: No

Endangered Heritage: No

Country: 🇮🇷 Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Continent: Asia

UNESCO World Region: Asia and the Pacific

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Golestan Palace: A Gem of Qajar Era Architecture

The Golestan Palace, located in the heart of Tehran, Iran, stands as a testament to the harmonious fusion of traditional Persian craftsmanship with Western influences during the Qajar era. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013, this architectural marvel offers a unique blend of history, art, and culture that continues to inspire contemporary Iranian artists and architects.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

The lavish Golestan Palace is a masterpiece of the Qajar era, embodying the successful integration of earlier Persian crafts and architecture with Western influences. The walled Palace, one of the oldest groups of buildings in Teheran, became the seat of government of the Qajar family, which came into power in 1779 and made Teheran the capital of the country. Built around a garden featuring pools as well as planted areas, the Palace’s most characteristic features and rich ornaments date from the 19th century. It became a centre of Qajari arts and architecture of which it is an outstanding example and has remained a source of inspiration for Iranian artists and architects to this day. It represents a new style incorporating traditional Persian arts and crafts and elements of 18th century architecture and technology.

Encyclopedia Record: Golestan Palace

The Golestan Palace, is the former official royal Qajar complex in Tehran, Iran. One of the oldest historic monuments in the capital and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Golestan Palace consists of a group of royal buildings that were once enclosed within the mud-thatched defensive walls of Tehran's citadel. It also houses vast gardens and a huge collection of Iranian and European crafts and gifts from the 18th and 19th centuries.

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Additional Site Details

Area: 5.3 hectares

UNESCO Criteria: (ii) — Significant interchange of human values
(iii) — Unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition
(iv) — Outstanding example of a type of building or landscape

Coordinates: 35.6803666667 , 51.4205111111

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Image of Golestan Palace

© Miladpoorali, CC BY-SA 4.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)

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Nearby World Heritage Sites

Trans-Iranian Railway
3 km — Iran (Islamic Republic of)
The Persian Caravanserai
69 km — Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Soltaniyeh
250 km — Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Hegmataneh
281 km — Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Masjed-e Jāmé of Isfahan
336 km — Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Country Information: Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Flag of Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Official Name: Islamic Republic of Iran

Capital: Tehran

Continent: Asia

Population (2024): 91,567,738

Population (2023): 90,608,707

Population (2022): 89,524,246

Land Area: 1,622,500 sq km

Currency: Iranian rial (IRR)

Country Data Sources

Last updated: January 18, 2026

Portions of the page Golestan Palace are based on data from UNESCO — World Heritage List Dataset and on text from the Wikipedia article Golestan Palace, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes made. Additional original content by World Heritage Explorer (WHE), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. WHE is not affiliated with UNESCO or the World Heritage Committee. Legal Notice. Privacy Policy.

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