A famous novelist once said, you are a leave that does not know it is part of a tree if you do not know history.
Downtown Tehran and right in the middle of hustle and bustle of the city, you will be surprised to find a heaven, a garden, a quiet peaceful place where you can lay back and spend the time at your leisure.
Bagh-e Negarestan which in Farsi means “a place, full of pictures” is home to a splendid mansion, and halls, is one of the Qajar kings precious architectural works with a surrounding garden crammed with tall trees and plants. What we see as Negarestan garden was a part of Negarestan palace, almost one tenth of it actually; because many parts of this huge summer residence were destroyed throughout history.
In1802The garden was built by order of Fath-Ali Shah, the second Shah of Iran, In1834, the third shah of Iran- Mohammad Qajar was crowned in the garden, In 1928, Naser Aldin Shah decided to convert it to teacher’s training college and later into an Iran’s first modern university.
In 1936, one of the halls became a library when university of Tehran had already started holding some of the courses there.
In 1958, the garden became property of Social and Cooperation Research Institute of Iran, since then many parts have been demolished and, from 1986to present the remaining has fortunately been preserved as a museum.
One of the halls hosts museum, devoted to the famous Iranian artist Mohammad Qaffari. Known as Kamal-ol Molk, he started the school of fine arts on the territory of the garden. Consequently, the exposition includes his works and works of two generations of his students
The most comprehensive dictionary of Persian language is also compiled there by Ali Akbar Dehkhoda- Iran’s most prominent lexicographer.