TEHRAN – On Sunday, a special exhibition titled “A Journey Through the Niavaran Museums’ Treasures” was inaugurated at Ahmad Shah’s Pavilion, the smallest palace within the Niavaran Palace Complex in northern Tehran.

The exhibition, which coincides with National Tourism Week, showcases a selection of rare artifacts from the pavilion’s collection, the organizers said.

It features a variety of historical objects. Among the notable items on display is a vintage Canon camera from the Pahlavi era, a 19th-century French enameled bronze binocular, and a collection of antique maps of Asia from the 17th to 19th centuries, drawn by renowned cartographers Johann Baptist Homann, Gerard Mercator, and Henricus Hondius.

Another highlight of the exhibition is a selection of paintings in oil, watercolor, and etching, created by artists from France, Switzerland, and Germany. These works depict famous tourist destinations, such as Lubeck, Germany, one of the world’s oldest historical cities and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

In a symbolic arrangement, the exhibition also features travel essentials from the Pahlavi era, including vintage suitcases, evoking the theme of travel and exploration. Additionally, a rare Sony video camera and a wooden globe, both preserved in the collection of Ahmad Shah’s Pavilion, are on display.

The exhibition aims to transport visitors on a journey through the history of travel, with each item carefully selected to capture the essence of tourism and adventure.

The exhibition will remain open to the public until October 21.

Covering an area of about eleven hectares, the Niavaran Cultural-Historical Complex is composed of several landmark buildings, museums, and monuments constructed in the 19th and 20th centuries during the Pahlavi and late Qajar eras. The history of the palace complex stretches back to about 280 years ago when Fath-Ali Shah of the Qajar Dynasty ordered a summer residence to be built in the then countryside area of the capital. The two-story Ahmad-Shahi pavilion is one of the highlights of the complex.

With an area of 9,000 square meters, the palace complex is entirely adorned with magnificent plasterwork, mirrorwork, and tilework. Its architecture boasts a blend of pre- and post-Islamic arts.

AM