SAAD ABAD PALACE (FORMER RESIDENTIAL PARK OF THE SHAH)

This large complex of 18 palaces and residences, built in the 30 s, in the heart of a large private park of 120 ha, is located northwest of Tehran on the edge of the city. The White Palace is at the entrance to the park; the remaining residences are scattered a little higher in the hills. A haven of Royal Peace, where the Shah, all to his pleasure, gradually lost the sense of reality, the places cristallisèrent the anger of the popular masses excédées by the conspicuous luxury of the last king Pahlavi. During the 1979 Islamic Revolution, after the Shah's escape abroad, these palaces will be besieged by a crowd wishing to tear down one of the symbols of the immortal dynasty.

The White Palace (or Palais de la Nation). From the outside, this large building, excluding the double colonnade at the entrance, looks more like an administrative building than a princely palace. At the bottom of the monumental stairs remains a huge pair of bronze boots, the only remnant of a statue of Reza Shah father, destroyed during the revolution. Hated as much at the end of his reign by the religious as by the laity, the Shah of Iran was also called the "monarch in the suitcase" incapable of coping with the problems encountered by the country and always quick to flee abroad.

The White Palace, now converted into the National Museum, is between external austerity and very rich interior. The 54 rooms and reception rooms have huge crystal chandeliers and precious carpets specially manufactured for the occasion. On the first floor, the carpet of the reception room for official dinners, is the largest ever made in Iran. The Shah, very francophile, hired a Parisian interior designer. Curtains and other furniture come straight from the Hexagon. Yet, despite the wealth displayed in the halls, the whole is lacking in soul and a little bit of a kitsch. The roof is retractable according to a German system, vanguard at the time, very high tech.

The Green Palace (Sahvand). Located at the top of the hills dominating the White Palace, the Sahvand housed Reza Shah Father. Entirely carried out in onyx, the green almost naturally dominates the flag. See mosaic halls of mirror éclats (qadjar style) with collections of carpets, furniture and other precious objects. It is rumoured that the last Shah of Iran organized his light private evenings…

The Palace of the Shah of the Shah. Furnished in a manner similar to that of the White Palace, this palace has three floors of precious furniture.

The Military Museum. Inside, a collection of arms and uniforms with some parts of the time achaemenid.

The Museum of Fine Arts. Some th-century persian oils, including several portraits (rare in Islamic art prohibiting human representation) and some pieces of furniture from a beautiful marquetry.

The Museum of Natural History. The residence, which belonged to the daughter of the Shah, contains a collection of naturalized animals and hunting trophies.

Other buildings are also open to the public, such as the Palais and Ibrat Palace, the Miniatures Miniatures Museum, and the Ethnological Research Museum.