National Jewels Museum

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By diba Points Of Interest 15 December, 2019

Overview

Owned by the Central Bank and accessed through its front doors, the cav-ernous vault that houses what is commonly known as the ‘Jewels Museum’ is not to be missed. The Safavid, Qajar and Pahlavi mon-archs adorned themselves and their belong-ings with an astounding range of priceless gems and precious metals, making this col-lection of bling quite literally jaw-dropping. Star pieces include the Globe of Jewels and the Peacock Throne.
Pick up a guidebook at the shop as you enter, or take one of the regular professional tours in English, French, Ger-man or Arabic – it’s included in the ticket price and worth waiting for as there are few descriptions in English.
Cameras, phones, bags and guidebooks must be left at reception. Be careful not to touch anything or you’ll set off ear-piercing alarms.

Interesting Facts

Most of the collection in the Treasury of National Jewels dates back to Safavid times, when the shahs scoured Europe, India and the lands of the Ottoman Empire for booty with which to decorate their capital, Esfahan. But as the Safavid empire crumbled, the jewels became a high profile spoil of war.

When Mahmud Afghan invaded Iran in 1722, he plundered the treasury and sent its contents to India. On ascending the throne in 1736, Nader Shah Afshar dispatched courtiers to ask for the return of the jewels. When their powers of persuasion proved unequal to the task, he sent an army to prove that he was serious. To get the soldiers off his back, Mohammed Shah of India was forced to hand over several treasures including the Darya-ye Nur (Sea of Light), a pink diamond weighing 182 carats and said to be the largest uncut diamond in the world. This bauble remains part of the Treasury’s collection, but the Kohi-Noor (Mountain of Light) diamond that was also part of Nader Shah’s haul has long since been part of the British crown jewels.

During the expedition Nader Shah also bagged the Moghuls’ famous Peacock Throne. But during the trip back to Persia, this piece of booty fell into the hands of rebellious soldiers, who hacked it up to spread the wealth among themselves. The Peacock Throne on display outside the vault door in the Treasury is the one ordered by Fath Ali Shah in 1798. Taking a daybed-style takht (table in a teahouse) they adorned it with 26,733 gems, including an extravagant carved sun, studded with precious stones. Before long it became known as the Sun Throne. Later Fath Ali married Tavous Tajodoleh, nicknamed Tavous Khanoum or Lady Peacock, and the throne became known as the Peacock Throne in her honour.

The Qajar and Pahlavi rulers enthusiastically added to the royal jewels collection, which grew to be so valuable that in the 1930s it was transferred to the National Bank of Iran (now the Central Bank of Iran) as a reserve for the national currency. Among the other standout pieces here are the tall Kiani Crown made for Fath Ali Shah in 1797; the crowns worn by the last shah and his wife, Farah; and the incredible 34kg Globe of Jewels, made in 1869 using 51,366 precious stones – the seas are made from emeralds and the land from rubies except Iran, Britain and France, which are set in diamonds.