Royal Library Museum

The private library of the Niāvarān palace was built roughly in the 1355 in the northeast section of the complex in a relatively secluded environment and adjacent to the residence of the reigning Pahlavi on two floors and a basement with the foundations of about 770 square meters.

The architecture of the building was created by an Iranian company with the smart combination of glass and mirror by the American artist Charles Sevigny. This project has distinctive peculiarities in interior decoration. Since the space in question has been designed for personal use, it lacks the standards in a library.

Also the presence of the piano and of the hearing aids in this complex informs us of the use of space as a music room. Remarkable works of art including furniture, statues, paintings that have been used in interior design have meant that the environment took on the appearance of a museum. Among the noteworthy decorative-functional elements of the library is the voluminous combination that includes 4356 transparent cylinders that provide the light to the library ceiling thanks to the great brightness behind it.

Voluminous works and paintings painted by Iranian and foreign artists such as Parviz Tanāvali, Ma'sud Arbshāhi, Bahman Mohasses, Manuchehr Yektāii, Mohammad Modabber, César Baldaccini, Diego Giacometti, Arnaldo Pomodoro and Armand Pierre Fernandez (Arman), have embellished the interior space.

The collection of printed books present in the private library is made up of more than 23000 volumes and some 16000 titles that include Persian works: cultural, literary, social publications, reports and statistics and foreign works that include: encyclopedias, periodicals specialized in art, archeology and origins of civilization and art of the countries of the world. Among all these, three types of books related to the history of Iran, French literature and the art of painting have a greater value.

In this library there are the first prints of many important journals of foreign travelers in Asia and Iran. In the relatively complete collection of the publications of the University of Tehrān and the founding of the culture of Iran with the pages of royal blue, stand out very authoritative works by famous painters of the world, especially those of the twentieth century with printing, paper and the precious pages.

The presence of complete collections of works by some eighteenth and nineteenth century French writers who were published during their life give added value to the collection.

One of the unique features of this library that distinguishes it from others and has transformed it into a museum is the presence of books donated by heads of state and famous writers. Among these personalities we can mention Parvin Etesāmi, Ali Naghi Vaziri, Manuchehr Ateshi, JF Kennedy, Walt Disney, Jawaharhal Nehru, Roloff Beny, Ghirshman and the autograph of many other well-known characters.

Among the other works in this library we can mention the calligraphy collections; among the writers of these texts we can mention Mir Ali Heravi, Ahmad Neirizi, Vesāl Shirazi, Zein Al'ābedin Hasani, Mohammad Esfahāni, and Mohammad Taghi Mashhadi. Among the other sections of the library is the collection of works of art that includes a collection of over 350 paintings.

The artists whose works are present in this collection such as Ja'far Rukhbakhsh, Mansureh Hosseini, Nāser Avisi, Abulghāsem Sa'idi, Mahmud Farshchiān, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Andy Warhol, Alen Bayash, bear witness to a part of the history of art contemporary, in particular the phenomenon of Iranian art modernism in the thirties and forties.

Many of the printed books in this library, due to their artistic and precious pages and layout, can be considered as a fascinating object of art. Books that have been placed in boxes of painted leather, of carved wood, of wrought metal, inlaid with jewels including as dimensions the smallest book in this collection is a Koran measuring 5 × 7 centimeters and the largest is an atlas in Latin measuring 57 × 82 cm.

The oldest book in the non-Persian collection is a book by Josephus Flavius ​​in Latin on the history of the Jewish people printed in Paris in the year 1609.
The oldest book in Persian is a Diwān of Hāfez with explanation of Suri which was given to Nasreddin Shāh Qājār. This in the year 1252 of the solar Hegira (1873 AD) was published in Leipzig.