Detail from the traditional arabic jewellery box.; Shutterstock ID 151427267; Your name (First / Last): Josh Vogel; Project no. or GL code: 56530; Network activity no. or Cost Centre: Online-Design; Product or Project: LP.com Destination Galleries

Shutterstock / Matej Kastelic

Treasury of National Jewels

Top choice in Tehran


Owned by the Central Bank and accessed through its front doors, the cavernous vault that houses what is commonly known as the ‘Jewels Museum’ is not to be missed. The Safavid, Qajar and Pahlavi monarchs adorned themselves and their belongings with an astounding range of priceless gems and precious metals, making this collection of bling quite literally jaw-dropping. Star pieces include the Globe of Jewels and the Peacock Throne.

Pick up a guidebook (IR40,000) at the shop as you enter, or take one of the regular professional tours in English, French, German 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.

Transportation

  • metro: Sa'di

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Tehran attractions

1. Glass & Ceramics Museum

0.3 MILES

The Glass & Ceramics Museum is, like many of its exhibits, small but perfectly formed. The galleries walk you chronologically through the ages, with…

2. Qazaq Khaneh

0.33 MILES

Dating from 1892, the old Cossacks Quarters forms an impressive architectural flourish at the northern end of pedestrian Melal-e Mottahed, the street once…

3. Ebrat Museum

0.39 MILES

There's nothing subtle about the graphic displays (suitable for adults only) in the one-time prison of the shah’s brutal secret police. A prime example of…

4. Ministry of Foreign Affairs

0.4 MILES

Building No 9 of Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs occupies the former Shahrbani Palace on the pedestrianised street once know as Barg-e Melli (National…

5. Malek National Library & Museum

0.43 MILES

On display at this private museum and library are pieces from the collection of Hadji Hussein Agha Malek, in the 1930s one of the richest men in Iran. The…

6. Islamic Museum

0.49 MILES

Next door to the National Museum, and part of the same complex, this museum offers a stunning collection of arts and antiquities from throughout the…

7. Portal of Bagh-e Meli

0.5 MILES

The decorative gateway to the National Garden complex of museums and government buildings, dates from 1906 and was renovated in 1922 by the Minister of…

8. Imam Khomeini Sq

0.5 MILES

Ringed by perpetually seething traffic, Imam Khomeini Sq is not a place to linger. Little of the grandeur of the Qajar era remains here, although there is…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "iran/tehran/attractions/treasury-of-national-jewels/a/poi-sig/414242/361025",
      "destination": "Tehran",
      "continent": "Middle-East",
      "country": "Iran",
      "city": "Tehran",
      "position": "superzone"
    }