Why the Eiffel Tower is special
The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889 for an international exhibition in Paris, France and named for its builder, Gustave Eiffel
It soars 321 meters (1051 feet) high including its broadcast antenna. The Eiffel Tower instantly became the world's tallest man-made structure. It broke the record held for over 4400 years by the Khufu Pyramid in Egypt only to lose it 41 years later to the Woolworth Building in Manhattan
Local controversy
The Eiffel Tower commands the Parisian skyline to the delight of many locals but to the dismay of others who consider it unaesthetic, or worse
A popular wonder
Six million people visit the Eiffel Tower each year to relish the 360 degree view of Paris. Nearly everyone takes an elevator up. A few hardy soles walk up the 1665 steps to the top
What leading travel books say about the Eiffel Tower
The height of the Eiffel Tower can vary by as much as 15 centimeters (6
inches), depending on the temperature
Paris
Michelin Green Guides
On a clear day from the Eiffel Tower, you can see 40 miles away
France
Frommer's
about Golestan Palaces in Tehran
province
During the reign of the Safavid Shah Abbas I, a vast garden
called Chahar-Bagh (Four Gardens), a governmental residence and
a Chenaristan (a grove of plane trees), had been created on the
present site of the Golestan Palace and its surroundings.
Then, Karim Khan Zand (1163-1193 = 1749-1779 A.D.) ordered the
construction of a citadel, a rampart and a number of towers in
the same area.
In the Qajar period, some royal buildings were gradually erected
within the citadel; for instance, in 1268 A.H. (1813 A.D.) which
coincided with the fifth year of the Nasir al-Din Shah, the
eastern part of the royal garden was extended and some other
palaces were built around the garden, called palaces the
Golestan Garden. The group of palaces located in the northern
part of the Golestan Garden, consists of the Museum Hall
(Talar-i-Brilian), the Ivory Hall, the Crystal Hall, and the
Talar-i Narinjistan (orangery hall), which have all been built
prior to the construction of the other parts of the palace.
The Museum Hall has been built in 1296 A.H. (1878 A.D.).
In the upper section of the Royal Reception Hall of the Golestan Palace, there is a large bejeweled golden throne, called Takht-i- Tavus (The Peacock Throne), which must be the same as the Solar Throne (Takht-i Khorshidi).
The Qajar`s royal residence, the oldest substantial building in
the city, and one of a group of royal buildings then enclosed
within mud walls known as the Arg, the Golestan Palace (Rose
Garden), too, was completed by Fath Ali Shah Qajar. However, its
construction is attributed to the Safavid Shah Abbas I.
Nasser ad-Din shah, influenced by what he had seen during his
first European tour in 1873, added a Museum in the from of a
large, first-floor hall decorated with mirror work, where some
of the priceless Crown jewels were put on show side by side with
many other things of much less value, mainly acquired by the
King during his European tour.
The coronation ceremonies of the last two kings of the Pahlavi
dynasty took place in the first-floor hall, however, after a
re-arrangement, complete renovation and redecoration of the
interior with the intention of reviving the palace`s ancient
splendor.
The last King used to hold New Year and Birthday Salams in the
Coronation Hall, where Ministers, foreign Ambassadors and other
dignitaries in full dress offered their congratulations to the
King of Kings. But generally, the Golestan Place is open to
strollers and tourists.
The Palace garden offered an oasis of coolness and silence in
the heart of the city, Shade is provided by what the inhabitants
of Tehran call (the finest plane tree in town), rose bushes,
blue fountain-bowls and ancient of water recall the charm of
ancient Iranian gardens.
Altogether, here you will see little more of the palace than the
visitor hoping for a tour around Buckingham Palace who is fobbed
off with the Royal Gallery.
But while the state-rooms of the Palace may appeal to some
others will turn to the Palace Library for the discovery of
Iranian paintings, which owes its relative lack of popularity to
the inaccessibility of originals scattered from Cleveland to
Istanbul, from Washington`s Freer Gallery to ST Petersburg, and
from the British Museum to Cairo`s National Library.
Address: 15th Khordad Square.
...YES! IRAN IS BEAUTIFUL |