Saadabad Palace

The Saadabad Palace complex is located in the Shemiran district in northern Tehran, at the foot of the Alborz mountains. The 80-hectare estate was historically favored as a summer retreat because of the cooler mountain climate compared to central Tehran.

The complex was originally established by the Qajar dynasty in the 19th century as a royal summer residence. It was significantly expanded during the Pahlavi era, when Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and his family added multiple palace buildings and used the estate extensively before the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

After the 1979 revolution, the Saadabad complex was converted from a royal residence into a public museum complex. Several of the former palace buildings within the estate now house museums displaying art, historical artifacts, and items from the Pahlavi royal period.

Among the approximately 18 buildings on the estate, the Green Palace (Kakh-e Sabz) and the White Palace (Kakh-e Sefid) are the most prominent. The White Palace was the largest residence used by the Pahlavi family and now serves as one of the main museum attractions within the complex.