Ivan-e Takht-e Marmar

Lonely Planet review

The Ivan-e Takht-e Marmar is a mirrored, open-fronted audience hall dominated by a magnificent throne. The throne is supported by human figures and constructed from 65 pieces of yellow alabaster from mines in Yazd. It was made in the early 1800s for Fath Ali Shah, a monarch who managed a staggering (and quite likely very tiring) 200-odd wives and 170 offspring. This hall was used on ceremonial occasions, including the Napoleon-style self-coronation of Reza Shah in 1925.

A narrow corridor leads off to a side room covered with murals of the fictional kings described in Ferdosi's Shahnamah - look for Zahhak, the king with a snake on his shoulder that had to be fed with human brains. Don't miss the painting of Fath Ali Shah above the fireplace - he's the one with the beard so thick you'd swear it was a falsie!